Regina mea, Regele meu
by Anaurael
Summary: Draciana, the wife of Vlad the Impaler was discovered by scientists in 1762 by a group of German scientists. She serves the Engel family for centuries until her master, now seen as a betrayed to Germany, calls Hellsing in order to stop Germany from using vampires after an influx of their population, and she is reunited with her king.
1. Chapter 1

**Year 1472**

Draciana's attention was drawn away from the book she had been reading as the sound of crashing came from what she could only guess was the kitchen area. With a sigh she set the book down on the table in front of her and began to make her way to the kitchen where no doubt one of her two personal servants, Andreea, was making a mess. As Draciana stood in the doorway of the kitchen she let out a sigh of exasperation and placed a hand on her pale face, closing her blue eyes at the sight. Andreea was on the floor, her pale face and black hair were covered in flour along with her dress and arms, holding a basket of fruits closely to her chest, glaring at and scolding Nicolae, the son of two kind servants who worked for her father.

"Nicolae! You know better than to come running in the house like that, look what you've done the flour is all over the place! What if you had run into the master?" Nicolae opened his mouth in an attempt to defend his actions but was interrupted by Andreea each time. Growing annoyed by her servant's rambling Draciana spoke up " Andreea you are rambling again, Nicolae can't even speak." she stated calmly. The woman and child had both by now noticed their lady's presence and had quickly stood up"Lady Draciana, I can explain you see-". Nicolae interrupted Andreea as he quickly grew excited as he rushed up to Draciana exclaiming "Lady Draciana! Lady Draciana! This letter came in for you and the Master and Mistress!" her eyes softened at the boy's excitement, she gently took the letter with a well known seal on it, thanking him as she began to turn away.

She paused before speaking to the two servants who looked ready to start arguing "Nicolae, I do appreciate you rushing to get this too me but, since you caused this mess you will clean it up." Andreea attempted to shoot a triumphant smile towards Nicolae. "And Andreea since you were no doubt attempting to carry the flour and basket, you will help him as well seeing as this ordeal could have been avoided if Nicolae had not been running and you not carrying too much this whole ordeal could have been avoided." Draciana could not help but allow amusement to show through her voice towards the end of her statement as Andreea and the brown haired boy's expressions switched. Before Andreea could start rambling again she turned and began heading to her father's office, letting out a chuckle as she heard the two begin to fight.

Draciana stopped in front of her father's door where she could both the voices of her father and mother within. She gently knocked on the door and said "Tata, Mama a letter from the castle has arrived it appears to be addressed to all three of us." she heard footsteps and the door swung open as her mother greeted her with a warm smile as she gestured for her to come in. "Meine schöne Tochter, we were just talking about you! You must come and see the men we have found surely you could find one to allow to court you." her mother exclaimed as she ushered her into the room. "Mama were you not the one who taught me to be independent, I do not see why I need a husband, besides all the royal you have introduced to me are utterly incompetent." Draciana said in a defeated tone as she handed the letter to her father and watched as she read it. Before her mother could reply a smile formed upon his face as he looked at Draciana. "Well fiică this would be the time to pick out someone for yourself since you are so stubborn. It appears our family has been invited to a ball in order to find the Count a wife."


	2. Just a Memory

Draciana stood in her room, having been sent by her parents to get ready for the ball that was taking place that evening. There was no doubt her mother and father would be discussing her future in her absence.

"Mistress, shall I pick out a dress for you to wear?" Andreea asked, pulling Draciana out of her thoughts and her gaze away from the letter she had been staring absentmindedly at.

"Yes of course, thank you Andreea, however we can do such tasks later, we have time before we must head to the castle."

Andreea let out a small sigh, staring at Draciana before bowing to her, saying her goodbyes and walking out of the room to find a dress for her mistress. As Andreea left the room and the door closed Draciana slumped over, allowing her body to relax and her head to drop with a huff. Being of royal blood it was tradition for her to marry to someone of the equal ranking. However, many of the meetings with other of her status were filled with desperate attempts to impress her with their looks and vast collections of treasure and artifacts, or they were too inexperienced and would stumble around with their words and look around constantly in a nervous state while refusing to meet her eyes.

A few hours had passed of Draciana thinking of the many failures of courting that had occurred and having mixed hopes of finding someone that would be interesting to her and did not gloat about his own treasures and feats so much, but at the same time she was silently praying that she would not find a proper suitor. Andreea had found a silk red dress with long sleeves that were flowing down, and golden embroidery was trailing down the front of the dress and spread out across the neckline.She had allowed her hair to be free, flowing down in soft golden waves to her waist.

Draciana was waiting for Nicolae and his father to finish preparing the carriage as her parents walked down the steps leading to the large house arm in arm. Her father was dressed much less extravagantly than her mother, her mother wore a larger cerulean gown that flowed out behind her in many layers with black embroidery along the chest and neck. Her hair was in a bun and had many blue jewels adorning it to match the dress. Her father had opted for a much simpler outfit and wore a dark blue doublet.

Silence was something Draciana began to long for as her mother was talking loudly and rapidly as her excitement got the best of her. It was always amusing to Draciana to watch her mother's quirks become more prominent. When she became increasingly excited or angry her words would become louder and more rapid and her accent from being a native German would become very prominent, so much so that words would sometimes be indecipherable as her mother got too excited.

When they arrived, Draciana was the last to step out as her father, offering his hand, helped her down from the carriage. Chatter and laughter could be heard from the castle as the group was approaching the entrance. When she entered the main ballroom Draciana was in awe, the room was lit by many candles and large and extravagant chandeliers hung from the rafters. Tables spread across the room full of food that no doubt only the rich could ever think of eating and large varieties of wine and drinks.

As she continued to examine the ballroom when her eyes met light blue eyes, she examined the man who had managed to catch her gaze. The man looked as unamused as she had been earlier, he had long black hair and a moustache on his upper lip and wore with a long cape that was a dark red on the inside. She offered a gentle smile and bowed her head before she heard her mother calling her name loudly.

"Draciana dragă, look who is here!" her father exclaimed dragging an all too familiar figure behind her.

Her father had found Gabriel Albescu, a royal that was the son of one of her father's closest friends, Dimitru Albescu. She felt her eye twitch slightly as she forced a smile on to her face, glancing out of the corner of her eye to look for the man, but he was no longer there. Her father was excitedly talking with Gabriel, who looked just as enthusiastic as her father when he heard she was to here to find someone to court her. Gabriel turned to look at her and approached her with a confident aura as he took her hand and placed a kiss on her knuckles.

"Draciana, you look stunning tonight." he greeted looking over her multiple times still holding her hand.

She opened her mouth to reply as she took her hand from his before her father interrupted.

"Draciana, you have danced with no one the entire time we have been here, why don't you dance with Gabriel."

A grin appeared on Gabriels face as he looked at her father and back to her as he bowed his head to her father and began to lead her to the center of the room where woman wearing many colors danced with men, switching partners mid-dance. She held back a groan as she was lead to join the crowd, her father had been very adamant about her getting married soon and had become worse over the years, attempting to play matchmaker with men he thought suitable for her. Draciana gained a few glances from men and women as she placed her hand in Gabriel's and her other on his shoulder and allowed him to take the lead.

He attempted to make conversation and gain her attention but she only gave him short answers and did not make much eye contact with him as she scanned the crowd, hoping to catch catch a glimpse of the man earlier. As the song came to an end, she pulled away muttering about how she was getting a drink in order to escape from Gabriel. He was certainly handsome and had much money, but he was far too proud of himself, always talking of how he had been trained by the best swordsman, or how many treasures he obtained during his trips around the world. Maybe if he had taken the time to read a book she would be more willing to think of him as a possible suitor, but he claimed that he had all the knowledge he needed without such 'trivial things'.

She had managed to reunite with Andreea, the poor woman looked exhausted and her cheeks red from attempting to keep up with her parents as they greeted and talked with their many acquaintances and friends. She offered a drink to Andreea, who looked grateful for the break and refreshment as she took a sip of wine she had taken from the table.

"Mistress, it appears there are two men approaching us, shall I tell them that you will not be dancing anymore?" Andreea inquired looking over Draciana's shoulder.

Draciana turned to look and see who it was, it was not Gabriel and as Andreea would have mentioned him specifically, knowing of her mistress' dislike of the man. She felt an odd sensation of joy and allowed a smile to reach her lips as she met light blue eyes once again. As the two men approached she respectfully bowed her head, guessing by their attire they were very important figures and deserved such respect.

"Hello miss, it has been quite some time since the Ardelean family has visited the castle, I believe not since you were a young child." the older man greeted, she remembered him barely from her days as a child, he was a close friend and servant to the previous Count and no doubt was still in service to the current count, whom she had begun to assume was the man next to him whom she had seen earlier, he still looked unamused, and allowed a small scowl to appear on his face as he saw the group of ladies lingering to the side, hiding their blushing faces and whispering quietly to each other while looking up to glance at him multiple times. As he turned to look at her his expression changing to a small smile noticing her amused attitude at his situation,

"Ms. Ardelean, I would like to introduce Vladimir Dracula, the Count," gesturing to the tall man next to him.

Vlad stepped forward, taking her hand in his and placing a gentle kiss on her knuckles, his hair falling in front of his face as his eyes met hers once again. She felt her cheeks warm and for the first time in a while as she smiled gently as she bowed before him.

"A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Ardelean." he rumbled out his voice deep with a gravelly tone.

"It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Count." Draciana returned as the older man excused himself, supposedly to attend some things and greet the other guests and to allow them to get to know each other.

Draciana allowed a smile to appear on her face as she held back a laugh, "I assume i am one of the many women that that man has tried to court you to this evening?"

"You could say that." he rumbled with a slight chuckle "I could say the same for you, no doubt many men have been falling to their knees before your beauty."

Draciana felt her blush deepen as she let out a sheepish laugh "You flatter me Count, I am sorry to disappoint you but what you assume is not the truth. I must say I never expected to receive such words from one as handsome as you Count"

"You flatter me now." Vlad chuckled. The song that rang through the ballroom came to and end, only for another began. He bowed and held out his hand to her "May I have this dance?"

"Of course you may." Dracinana replied repent eagerly, placing her hand in his as her other hand went to his shoulder as his went to her waist.

"As you know my name may I have the honor of knowing your name?" Vlad asked

"Draciana Ardelean" Draciana replied as she was spun around and gently pulled back to him, her dress flowing out around her

"A beautiful name befitting of such a beautiful woman, if I may ask have you found someone you wish to be courted with?" Vlad asked

"Quite curious aren't you Count? But no I have not." she answered before asking him "And what of you Count? Have you found one to Court?"

She let out a small gasp as the count looked at her pulling her close to his chest, a strange glimmer in his eyes "Hmmm… there may be one." His face got closer to hers as a loud explosion rang throughout the air and she woke up, a single tear trailing down her face as she realised that it had been a dream, just a memory.

( **I apologize for the extremely long gap between the first update and now, due to schooling updates may be slow but will be at least once a month . I hope you all enjoy the chapter and any feedback is more than appreciated)**


	3. A Call For Help

Draciana pushed open the lid of her coffin, releasing a shaky breath as she wiped the tear from her face and stood up to look out the window. Smoke could be seen rising from the horizon, the smoke gaining a white glow as the moon was beginning to rise. No doubt the Germans were fooling around with their weapons and tanks, making a show of their power as they drank and laughed over the suffering the war they started was causing. She would never understand why people fought this war, why they followed the man who dared to call himself a Führer, when all he did was blame the innocent and lead his soldiers into a meaningless war with the false hopes that their country could become great, the greatest country in the world.

She furiously wiped at her face as more tears of blood ran down her face and turned to her closet and got dressed in a white, knee length dress and sat down back on the bed to put some boots on and ran her hairbrush through her hair, which surprisingly wasn't tangled like most nights when she woke up from a memory. Probably because this memory wasn't filled with blood and tears. She stopped and looked at the golden ring that rest on her finger, shutting her eyes tightly as she tried to stop memories from pushing up from the depths of her mind which they had been pushed. Not being able to take the emotions that she felt from seeing the ring she gently pulled it off her finger and set it on the table by her bedside and looking away. She got up and grabbed the brass candle holder that sat by the door and lit the candle that sat on it, preparing to light some more to give the mansion some light and to help the guests that were bound to be arriving shortly.

Draciana walked through the long halls of the large mansion that belonged to her current master Dieter Augenstein, a German man who was well respected for his hand in the development of current sciences and had close relations with the higher ups within the army and government. When she finished lighting the candles in the now dimly lit hallway she headed towards the stairs to awaken her master and to light the rest of the mansion.

She approached the familiar door and quietly opened it, revealing a thin figure on the large bed covered by white sheets and a wheelchair close to the bed for easy access.

She approached the bedside setting the candle she held down before gently shaking the man awake "Master, the sun has gone down, our guests should be arriving soon."

She watched as the old man rose from the sheets, grumbling under his breath as she set out a pair of warm clothes for him and walked to the table by his bed to retrieve the medicine he had to take night and day to help support his body.  
"Master, with all respect I have told you many times that the other servants and I can take care of them while you rest, you need not push yourself so hard." Draciana said in a slightly stern tone, quickly turning around to help him into the wheelchair before he did so himself.

He let out a grunt as she helped him into the wheelchair "And I have told you many times, that they must know that not all of Germany is with that man, and that I am not a helpless old man. I will keep on working until these bones cannot move anymore and I will not allow you to dissuade me from doing so."

Draciana felt her heart lift and a smile appeared on her face as she gave him his pills and handed him the glass of water that was always by her bedside and grabbed the candle once again. She was glad that her master had not lost his spark, the same spark that had pulled her out of her pitious state and earned her respect.

She pushed her master into the main room where other servants had been preparing supplies for the visitors who would be arriving very shortly. Blankets and warmed clothes had been stacked on a chair by the long table where crackers and broth had been prepared and warmed. Bandages and medical supplies lay on a seperate and smaller table, Draciana grimaced at the thought of what injuries they would come with, previous injuries had been bad enough to result in amputations and were even fatal.  
The faint sound of a familiar truck was heard in the distance as Draciana called for Maria, another maid who she had become very close with in her time serving him. They opened the large doors to the mansion as harsh and cold winds flowed through the open doors, causing the flames of the fire and candles to waver..

"Heilige Scheiße!" Maria choked out as she wrapped her cloak tighter against her before turning to Draciana who had an amused twinkle in her eyes and put a hand on her mouth to cover the smile that appeared.

"Must be nice to be dead, you don't have to worry about getting too cold or hot, do you even feel temperature anymore?" Maria huffed out brushing thin black locks that had flown into her face from the winds, her cheeks and nose bright red.

Draciana let out a laugh at Maria's comment "You overestimate me Maria, I am not immune to the cold or heat, it merely takes much more than a snow storm to affect me, you must also remember while you have been through 19 winters, I have been through hundreds."

Maria gave her a blank stare about to shoot back a comment before headlights appeared through the treeline and a large truck followed soon truck pulled to a stop in front of where the two women stood as the front doors opened and two men jumped out of them to greet Maria and Draciana. The first was Andreas, an older man who was a close friend to her master, He was a fairly short man with black hair that had hints of gray in it and his eyes were a warm brown with wrinkles around them from the large smile that was a common sight to see on his face. However today his usual smile was replaced with an annoyed look and his eye twitched when he heard the voice of a young male calling out to him loudly.

"Why don't you let all of Germany know where you are boy, I'm sure they can hear you just fine," Andreas grumbled shooting a look as the other man who accompanied him, Julius, jumped out of the passenger side of the truck and let a curse out as he lost his balance and fell into the snow.

Draciana and Maria approached the duo, Julius quickly getting up and brushing the snow off of him as he gave a large smile to Draciana, an embarrassed blush on his face. Julius opened his mouth and got ready to reply before Maria jumped in and asked "How many did you manage to get?" with an anxious look making it's way onto her face.

"Four children and a married couple. The wife is 6 months pregnant, we should get them inside quickly." Andreas replied a bitter and disappointed look on his face as he stared ahead refusing to make eye contact, a disturbed look was well hidden within his eyes.  
"Boy, help Maria get everyone into the mansion, and for the love of god do _not_ feed them candy, let them eat the soup and crackers." Andreas ordered as Draciana approached him.

"But Andreas, they have not had any good food in god knows how long, surely they would rather have things like candy, it won't do any har-"

Draciana felt anger and annoyance flow through her as she interrupted him before he could finish his sentence. " You know nothing of what it is like to starve, you are as bad as the Americans! You never feed one who has been starved something like candy, it will kill them. Do you not see that the Russians do not feed the freed prisoners candies but crackers. Do as he says and get them inside." She let out a shaky breath as she turned to Andreas once more before putting a hand on his shoulder, bringing him back from his thoughts.

"You are one of the calmest people I have met Draci." Andreas said to her a humorous look reaching his brown eyes  
She let out a small laugh "I could hardy call what I just did calm Andreas, I barely kept my voice under what would be polite."

The smile slowly faded of both of their faces as Draciana once again placed her hand on his shoulder with a soft look on her face.

"You can not save everyone, Andreas, you do what you can without causing harm to the ones you save and the ones who you hold close to you. You have saved hundreds by yourself, and when master joined in, you both managed to save even more. And do not forget- you are not alone in the fight to save them. Along with the Allied powers there are also many Germans who are risking their lives just like you to get them to safety."  
"It's not just that, Draciana, the Nazis, they are doing something horrible, something that could turn the tides of the war once again in favor of the Axis powers."Andreas said, a distant and haunted look on his face as he began walking to the house. He paused and looked over his shoulder.

"Dieter, is he awake? I must talk with him and inform him with what I have been told."

"Yes, he insisted he be awake to help assist in any way he could, he is in the main room waiting."

Andreas nodded before walking into the doors before she was beckoned to the back of the truck by Maria, a distressed look on her face.  
"The little girl, she won't come out but she is so pale and shivering like a leaf!" Maria exclaimed her loud voice resulting in a figure shuffling itself further into the back of the truck.

"Lower your voice Maria, yelling is the last thing that is going to get her to come out, go start taking care of the others. I will bring her as soon as I can." Draciana said pulling herself into the bed of the truck and crouching down low to make herself less threatening. She heard Maria's footsteps slowly fade away and the door close as she turned her attention to the dangerously frail figure that was curled up in the corner, silently thanking her advanced eyesight as she was easily able to spot her and see her condition.

The girl had little hair as it undoubtedly had been shaved off when she arrived at the concentration camp. Her bones were visible on every limb of her body and her cheekbones where popping out, making her face look even more deathly as dulled brown eyes stared at her, cautiously watching her every move.

Draciana moved closer until the girl stiffened and curled up into a tighter ball. "What's your name, little one?" she asked a low tone so not as to scare her. The girl stared at her for a moment before shakily replying

"Vas Zagstu?"  
The realization as to why the girl would not go with Maria dawned upon Draciana as she realized what the little girl had said. She spoke Yiddish- a language that was spoken commonly by the Jews in central and eastern Europe. She only knew the basics of the language from previous Jewish people who had come through the mansion to safety she would have to make do with what she knew and could only hope that it was enough to atleast get her inside.

"Vos iz deyn nomen?" Draciana asked once again, saying it slowly and carefully to make sure she said it properly and did not make a mistake and say something else.

Relief rushed through her as the girl lifted her head a bit an unfurled a bit and responded in a quiet and raspy whisper "Aliza."

She smiled and said "Aliza, a sheyn nomen. Ikh farshteyn ir zent dershrokn aun ton nit tsutroy aundz ober ir muzn kumen ineveynik, es iz geferlekh tsu zeyn aoys in dem veter. Ikh tsuzog ir nit mer shatn vet kumen tsu ir azoy bite, tsutroy mir.." She stumbled over her words a few times as she attempted to speak the foreign language, resulting in a giggle from Aliza. Draciana put out her hand and slowly leaned closer to Aliza, giving her an encouraging look. Aliza shakily put her small and bony hand out before slightly pulling it back and looking at Draciana and whispering out "Tsuzong?" and held out her pinky while staring at her with a hopeful look on her face. At first Draciana did not understand what the girl had said but as she put her pinky out Draciana put her pinky out and wrapped it around Aliza's smaller one before whispering "Tsuzong."

Aliza slowly stood up using Daciana's hand as balance, but once Aliza was fully upright Draciana flinched at her condition. It was obvious that she was staved but once the sad excuse of clothing was not piled around Aliza her condition was more visible, On top of being so skinny her bones were showing there were cuts and bruises all along her body, her hands were red and scabbed over from the labor she had been forced to do and a familiar tattoo that Draciana had come to hate so much. A serial code on the outside of her left forearm. While it had meant that she was saved from being sent to the gas chamber, but it meant that she would become nothing more than a prisoner and a slave.

Draciana pulled Aliza into her arms, allowing the girl to wrap her legs around her waist and rest her head on Draciana's chest. She jumped down from the bed of the truck, causing snow to fly up around them. Aliza reached out and laid her hand out, letting the snowflakes fall and melt into her hand as Draciana approached the doors to the mansion. As she opened the door she walked into the silent main room and set Aliza down next to the other children in front of the fire. She grabbed a thick blanket off the chair and wrapped it around her as the group huddled together, quietly whispering to each other.

"Maria," Draciana called. "Come help me prepare some soup and crackers for everyone, and then we must prepare the rooms." Julius who was sitting near Maria bowed his head at the mention of the soup and crackers and Maria tapped his shoulder and gestured for him to get up and help. The trio walked into the kitchen which was connected to the main room by a doorway, Maria layed out five normal sized bowls and one larger bowl for the pregnant wife. Draciana filled all of the bowls to the brim with the warm soup and grabbed three of the six bowls, Maria grabbed one and headed to the cabinet to get some crackers out to go with the soup. Julius was left to grab the last bowl but noticed Draciana had grabbed three bowls and approached her saying with a confident tone "Draci, I can carry three. Let me carry what some of what you have."

Draciana raised an eyebrow but allowed him to take two of the bowls from her arms. He flashed a large smile at her as he walked away with confidence that vanished when he tripped over air at the doorway, almost dropping the bowls. Draciana grabbed the back of his collar, keeping him from slamming into the floor while Maria grabbed two of the bowls from as she walked by and walked into the main room setting them down on a table in the middle.

"Thank you Maria, and Julius, if you know you can't do it, don't do it." Draciana said with a smirk as she let him go and turned to put the last bowl on the table, a smile now on her face as she heard the children giggling and whispering and saw them pointing at Julius. She gestured for the children and couple to gather around the large table and to take their seats and to begin eating.  
"We should get the rooms set up quickly so they can settle in, the sun will be rising in a few hours." Maria said and began walking to the left side of the room in front a carpet in front of a large black couch. Maria bent down and flipped over the carpet, revealing a door while Draciana grabbed a lamp and waited for Maria to open the door. When she opened the door Draciana gave the lamp to Maria who went to gather some clean clothes while Draciana went down into the underground room to begin making the beds.

"Draciana, why do you never carry the lamp down here? You're always down here first and I already have to get so many things." Maria complained, peeking from the side of the pile of clothes so she could see while holding the lamp in her right hand.

"Because unlike you, I can see without the lamp. Vampire, remember?" Draciana laughed as she walked over and grabbed half the pile of clothing, setting a set on each bed that would be needed.

"Are they finished eating? They can't be up there for much longer and I'm sure they will want to clean themselves before they head to bed." Draciana said.

"Rachel, the pregnant woman, didn't want to eat more than the others. It took me a while to convince her that there was plenty so she might take longer, but the children scarfed it down as fast as they could, I think some of them might have eaten too much. I will go get them now." Maria said in an amused tone.

"I will finish preparing the beds then." Draciana replied before turning back to make the beds and to add more pillows to the larger bed to make it more comfortable for Rachel. She heard laughing and the sound of running feet as the children made their way down the stairs, stopping as they saw the beds full of thick blankets and pillows. The four children looked at her in awe and for confirmation, Draciana chuckled.

"Yes, they are for you, but first go clean yourselves up- there are showers in the room to the left."

The children cheered and Maria came down with Rachel and her husband, both supporting the pregnant woman as she walked down the stairs. Draciana repeated what she had told the children to Rachel and her husband and gestured to the larger bed.

A few tears fell from Rachel's face as she asked, "Where- where is the man who brought us here, and the one who owns this place? I have to thank them. I owe my life to them, and my child's."

Draciana grabbed Rachel's hands in hers and spoke gently to her. "Do not worry about those things, there will be time to thank them though you need not to as everything we're doing here is what any decent human should do. Go clean yourself up and rest. I will get you when the sun sets tomorrow."

Rachel bowed her head slightly as her husband muttered his thanks and began leading her to the showers before she paused and turned her head.

"And what about you, you help us like any human should but you are not human."

"I merely make up for what I could not do when I was human." Draciana replied before a servant came down the stairs and grabbed her attention.

"Miss Draciana, the master requests your presence in his office, he says he must discuss important matters with you,"

She asked the servant to help Maria finish settling everyone in and to help the children clean themselves as she walked up the stairs and to her master's office. She opened the door quietly her, red eyes scanning the large room before she saw both her master master and Andreas seated at a table both drinking coffee.

"You requested my presence master?" Draciana questioned as she approached the two men, "And I assume it has to do with the information Andreas was told about." she finished taking a seat next to Andreas.

She was met with silence before her master sighed and rest his chin on his hand before looking at her.

"You are more than familiar with the German government's interest in vampires, Draciana." he began, making Draciana stiffen, eyes narrowing.

"Master, where are you going with thi-." "Andreas has been informed that the Nazis have begun to study and are trying to create artificial vampires, while that is a problem on it's own there has been a significant rise in ghouls. We fear that they may be used as weapons in the war and possibly in future wars if they manage to succeed."

Draciana's eyes hardened and she remained silent for a few minutes before she spoke. "Master, the only reason you would bring this to my attention and let alone concern yourself with this matter means that you mean to interfere with their plan."

"Sharp as always, Draci." Andreas muttered before taking another sip of his coffee.

"You are aware of the Hellsing organization, yes?" Her master asked. The Hellsing organization, an organization placed in England, named after Abraham Van Hellsing, their mission to hunt and kill the creatures of the night.  
"Yes, I know of them, are you suggesting that we call them even with the war going on?" Draciana replied. Her master had more connections to this organization if he was confident that they would come to assist him, even with the second World War currently being fought.

"The current head of the organization, Arthur Hellsing, is a friend of mine and has already agreed to help take care of the problem, I want you to prepare three rooms. They will be arriving in approximately four hours. And you will be helping them with this so get your clothes and weapon out as well." Dieter said in a firm voice, a serious look in his eyes.

Draciana stood up from her chair and asked one last question. "You say three, who are the other two that are coming with him? I would think there would be more."

"No need for many soldiers- he brings his best soldier, Walter C. Domez and the dog of Hellsing's Alucard. Now go, I wish to talk more with Andreas." She bowed and walked out of the room with one word whirling and repeating in her mind.

Alucard.

 **I want to thank you all so much for your support and a special thank you to the anon from Germany, you really pulled me back into reality and kicked me back into gear. Also my apologies for the late update I unfortunately got very sick this week and was not able to do as much as I wanted. Still, I hope you enjoy this chapter and any and all feedback is more than appreciated 3**

Translations:

"Vos iz deyn nomen?  
 _"What is your name?"_

"Aliza, a sheyn nomen. Ikh farshteyn ir zent dershrokn aun ton nit tsutroy aundz ober ir muzn kumen ineveynik, es iz geferlekh tsu zeyn aoys in dem veter. Ikh tsuzog ir nit mer shatn vet kumen tsu ir azoy bite, tsutroy mir."  
 _Aliza, a beautiful name. I understand you are scared and do not trust us but you must come inside, it is dangerous to be out in this weather. I promise you no more harm will come to you so please, trust me._

Tsuzong  
 _promise_

if you used google translate I apologize that it most likely did not work as these are transliterated to be more suitable for reading ^^"


	4. Regel Meu

Draciana silently walked out of her master's office and walked up the dimly lit stairs to her room. She paused, silently cursing herself as she realized that amidst her strange attraction to Alucard's name that she had failed to ask her master which rooms they would be staying in. Hopefully he wouldn't mind her preparing the rooms that were upstairs near hers so it would be easier for her to assist them, but first she needed to dig out what her master had ordered her to- her sword that had she had used faithfully in the years she had been alive as well as the centuries she had been dead, and some proper clothing for more… physical tasks.

She opened her door, walking into her room. She was relieved to see the moon cutting through the since-calmed storm, softly illuminating the room's contents.

She opened the curtains fully, allowing a little more light into her dark room before turning to the wardrobe that stood across the room. She walked to the wardrobe and opened, searching for the familiar outfit that she had worn the last time she hunted creatures of night. It was a black shirt that resembled one a general would wear and a slim fitting black skirt that reached just above her mid thigh, both had golden accents running along the edges. Draciana slipped a black pair of leggings and black boots that reached her mid calf and had a small thick heel. She placed a golden belt around her waist that could hold small daggers and had a loop for her to put her sword in. She fixed her hair and made sure that the belt was secured tightly before turning to the black coffin that sat in the center of the room.

She walked to it and crouched down, pushing it forward to reveal another wooden door that was smaller than the one downstairs. She smiled as she opened the door and reached down into the small area that held multiple boxes. Her master had a knack for making sure there were always places to hide and secure things, even people. She felt her hand brush a long and narrow box, she looked down and flinched at the symbol on the box shining bright gold as the moonlight reflected off of it. She pushed the box to the back of the space, no longer wishing to think about the memories that had associated themselves with that box and smiled fondly as she found what she was looking for. A smaller box than the one before but still large enough to hold one of her most prized possessions, the sword that Vlad had given to her for her birthday. She gently grasped the black box and ran her fingers along the golden symbol that was engraved into the dark wood, the symbol of the Order of the Dragon, which her husband had been a prominent member of. She gently opened the box to reveal a long claymore in a black and gold sheath sitting in red silk. She picked it up and slowly unsheathed it, revealing its long silver blade, shining as brightly as ever- she never let it dull. Gently examining the blade, she put her finger on the blade and pressed down on it, it took a few seconds of pushing down on it for blood to be drawn. It didn't come as a surprise to Draciana that it would need sharpening, the sword had sat unused for decades.

As Draciana held and examined the beautiful sword and gently rubbed the golden hilt, memories flooded her mind and she did not try to stop them, she didn't want to. She remembered the reason Vlad had it made for her. She had grown increasingly fascinated with his claymore and when he was not watching, and would take it so she could hold and see it. A large smile appeared on her face as she remembered the first time he had walked in on her holding and caring for his sword. He had gone to grab it from her but she held it closer to her chest and began scolding him for not caring more for the beautiful sword. She remembered how she had pointed out how had bloodstains on it and the hilt was dirty, she remembered the amused look that had made its way onto his face as he stood there, listening to her scold him. One memory that would always stay in her mind, the moment he had pulled her from her seat and pulled her against him, resting his forehead on hers while saying

"You never told me you were so passionate about swords, draga mea. I would have had one made for you sooner."

She let out a laugh as she remembered how after he had placed a gentle kiss on her forehead he quickly pulled back as she swatted at his chest, her face red with embarrassment. His amused expression turned into one of laughter, it was the first time she had heard him laugh like that, so joyous and without a care as he sheathed his sword and grabbed her hand, leading her away. She'd yelled at him for being a tease and huffed, but gripped his hand tighter nonetheless and walked by his side. In that moment she decided she wanted to see that laugh and look on his face many times again, and if it meant embarrassing herself once in a while- she was more than happy to.

She was pulled out of the fond memory as the sound of someone knocking on her door and calling her name loudly pierced through the silent mansion. How long had she allowed herself to live in the past, she questioned, looking at the moon that was now shining undisturbed by the storm that had been blowing not too long ago. She closed the door to the small space and pushed her coffin back over it, concealing it once again. She gently put her sword back into the box and set it on her coffin as she stood up and walked to the door where her name was once again being called loudly and followed by knocking. Draciana opened the door with an irritated look as she stared at Gabriel, who stood there with his mouth slightly open and his fist raised, ready to call her and knock on the door.

"Draci, I was looking for you! May I come in?" Gabriel asked loudly as he began making his way into her room, not waiting for an answer.

"You are far too loud for this time of night. Your yelling will wake the children and possibly even the scare them. And I have asked you many times to not call me by that name."' Draciana hissed lowly, annoyance dripping from her voice as she turned to watch him. He had walked over to the small table by her coffin, and had picked up something and was examining it closely.

"Who gave you this? It's so old! I would have given you something much newer and more beautiful than this. And what kind of writing is this, I can't even read it!" Gabriel exclaimed as Draciana saw what he was holding, the golden ring that she had kept with her since she was wed to Vlad. She felt her patience running out rapidly as she quickly walked up to him and snatched the ring from his grip. She turned around, rubbing it with a fond but pained smile as she put it back on her finger.

"Who gave this to me is not your concern, and you know how old I am so you should not be surprised that I own such old things, neither do I care for what you would have gotten me or your opinion on it. And for your information, it is in my mother tongue Romanian, not that I would expect you to know that." She snapped at him, her patience now long gone. First he calls her by that damned name multiple times, then argues about what to feed the guests, and now he walks freely into her room and insults one of her most prized possessions from when she was human?

Gabriel raised his hands in surrender, a grin on his face as he defends himself.

"Sorry, sorry. Didn't know it was so precious to you. What, did you get it from your husband or something? You really shouldn't hold onto things like that. It stops you from moving on, I mean when was the last time you had a romantic relationship with someone?"

Draciana feels her hands and teeth clench hard, and the feeling of liquid dripping from her palm and down till it dripped off and onto the floor. She held back the angry tears that were forming in her eyes when Gabriel quickly moved forward and grabbed her hand. She couldn't resist or say anything as she felt she was going to lose control, having dreamt of such a memory had already taken its toll on her. But now he was ripping open old wounds that she had tried to heal for centuries but failed to, and instead merely covered them up. As Gabriel grabbed her hands and separated them, he pulled out a handkerchief and pressed it to her left hand while using his fingers to press down on her other hand.

"You know Draci- Draciana, if you are scared to move on I'm here. You know how I feel and I would help you in any way I could. Please just give me a chance to get your love, and to prove mine."

Draciana felt something snap in her as she shoved him away, almost sending him into the wall and took steps back in order to put some space in between them. Her eyes widened as she realized what she had just done. She had not only lost control of her emotions but had also pushed her master's grandson, almost injuring him. She felt herself shaking from the overflow of emotions as she quickly bowed in front of Gabriel apologising for her behavior.

Gabriel let out a shaky sigh and ran his hand through his blonde hair and replied "Hey Draci, calm down. It's alright. I went too far, I should be the one apologizing." he stated, his grey blue eyes trying to meet hers. She looked up with shock in her eyes and her mouth agape as those words came out of his mouth. Gabriel was very proud and would rarely admit that he was wrong just like he did now.

A smirk appeared on his face as he ruined everything she was thinking by saying "But hey, you let me get that close, that's some progress. I can't wait to see you when you are more comfortable around me." He turned around and walked out of her room without a word, leaving the door open much to her displeasure.

Draciana closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She needed to get out of the mansion for a bit and away from people. She did not feel like having anymore conversations or confrontations, especially since Sir Hellsing and the two that he brought with him would be arriving soon. She could not risk losing control, as she did with Gabriel, with them. She opened her eyes and quietly walked out of her room making sure to close the door behind her as she walked down the stairs. When she reached the base of the stairs she was met by Andreas who was just exiting her master's office. He looked at her as she walked by him and much to her relief said nothing at first. As she passed her master's office she paused, should she put her master to bed or allow him to stay awake and greet Sir Hellsing? His health had been rapidly decreasing as of late and as his servant, it was her job to keep him safe and in good health. She decided it would be best for him to go and rest. As she reached for the door handle she was interrupted by Andreas.

"Draci, don't worry about him, the stubborn man fell asleep in his wheelchair. Leave him be. I'm sure he would give you an earful if you moved him back to his bed where he would miss their arrival. Go to your garden and take a break. I can practically feel the stress and irritation comin' off you." he said as he approached her and gently pushed her away from the door and closer to the doors that led to the garden she loved so dearly.

Draciana felt herself relax slightly and a tired smile to appear on her face as she looked over her shoulder at Andreas, who had a stern but slightly playful look on his face. But the playfulness did not reach his tired eyes where dark circles had begun to form.

"You know me too well, but I could say the same for you. You are tired, Andreas. Go to bed and rest your body and mind. You have done more than enough. And besides, if the master wakes up I will hear him, the garden is not far."

She placed her hands on his shoulders and forced him to turn around and to begin walking to his room, across from the office her master slept in. He tried resisting at first and gave up, grumbling about her "damned vampire powers". As she gave him a final light push, he continued walking to his room. She watched as his tired body slumped as he got closer to his room. Had he gone any longer she did not doubt that his body would give in whether he liked it or not.

She walked closer to the dark wooden doors, her light steps ringing through the now quiet mansion. Her feet and steps felt as if they had become heavier the closer she got. She slowly opened the doors trying to stifle the groaning sound they made each time they were opened. She felt crisp, cool air flow from outside and around her. Some of the cold air escaped into the warm mansion as she stepped outside and closed the doors behind her. She stood and felt herself relax at the beautiful sight before her. Snow lay on the ground and on the petals and stems of the roses she had raised herself. The moonlight added to the scene making the snow glow and sparkle. The ice that had formed become more visible, revealing intricate designs. She began making her way to the wooden bench that lay in the center of the garden, the snow crunched under her boots as each step made an imprint on it's smooth surface.

As Draciana gently wiped the snow from the bench and sat down, her body relaxed. She felt the thoughts and emotions that whirling around in her mind begin to slow. She studied the roses that were around her, large and small. Fully bloomed and buds all of which she had carefully taken care of. The garden had been a gift from her master for helping during the first World War. He had told her that he would give her whatever she wanted, all she had to do was tell him and it would be done. She remembered how surprised he had been when she asked for a rose garden. She could have asked for her freedom, but where would she have gone? Her loved ones were long gone and she knew nothing outside of the family she served.

She had never told her master why she had asked for the garden, she trusted him but such things were something she wished to keep to herself. The garden was as close of a replica to the one Vlad had give her as a present for their first anniversary of being together as she could garden had once belonged to his mother, but after her death it had gone unattended and Draciana had stumbled upon it one day while she was exploring the castle. She had asked him about it once he got out of the meeting he had to attend, but he just stared at her before changing the subject and ignoring her question. She had taken it upon herself to salvage the garden and to regrow the flowers that were once blooming. Toward the end of her repairing the garden, Vlad had joined and helped her finish repairing it and ordered his servants to get seeds. She felt sadness grip her heart as she realized how fuzzy the memory had become. She closed her eyes and tried to remember everything she could about that memory, but to her irritation it still remained fuzzy.

The sound of the doors groaning as they opened and footsteps crunching in the snow pulled her back to reality as she stood up and turned around to see who had interrupted her. She held back a groan as she saw who was walking towards her. Gabriel. A wide grin was on his face as he saw her look at him, but she relaxed as she heard Maria call out to Gabriel in an annoyed tone as she walked out closely behind him.

"Gabriel, I told you to not disturb her! There is still time before they will arrive, let her rest!"

"Come on Maria, she's been out here for three hours already! I don't want her to become an ice cube. And besides, surely she gets lonely out here." Gabriel replied loudly causing Maria to flinch and hit the back of his head. Draciana felt her eye twitch at his comment but was also surprised that she had been out here for so long. It had only felt like minutes to her.

"How many times must I say the cold and heat do not affect me as they do you. And I came out here to rest and relax alone." Draciana stated bluntly feeling her annoyance rising once again. Draciana walked by the pair and back into the house as Maria shot a glare at Gabriel and followed the taller woman inside. Draciana entered the main room where Andreas and her master were both sitting and talking quietly.

"Andreas, you knew where I was, why did you not get me? I could have prepared him myself. You didn't need to do that. You should have been resting like I told you to."Draciana said in a mildly scolding manner. But she was grateful for the break she had been allowed to take, but taking breaks were starting to get dangerous, she had been living in the past far too much recently.

"Draciana, you may be a vampire but you are not invincible. We all need rest and have gotten some to keep going. Besides, the old man might be stubborn but he cares for you too. He told me not to get you." Andreas replied in an authoritative tone, leaving no room for argument as he ducked his head to avoid the book that had been thrown his way by her master. She watched on in amusement as the two began to bicker and yell at each other, her master reaching for another book as Andreas grabbed a pillow from the couch to protect himself.

"Thank you master." Draciana said quietly watching as he froze for a bit and turned his attention back to Andreas and acting as if he had not heard her.

Draciana heard the faint noise of a plane approaching, in fact she had almost missed it had it not been for her master's slight pause in bickering with his friend.

"Master, I believe Sir Hellsing is approaching. Have you told them where they could land?"

"Yes, they know where to land. Now help me get outside. I do not wish to wait around any longer."

Draciana hesitated for a moment before turning fully to face him, "Master, there is still some time before they will arrive, it is still cold out and it would be best-"

She was cut off by her master as anger flashed through his eyes "I said I will not wait any longer Draciana! You are to follow my orders and remember your place! I will not have you speak against me again!" he yelled at her pushing himself to stand as Andreas lunged out of his seat to catch him as his legs gave out and set him slowly back into his wheelchair. Her master was silent for a minute before he let out a long sigh and placed his head in his hand.

"Forgive me Draciana, I have been feeling unwell as of late. I thank you for your concern but you must remember why you are here." He said lowly to her not meeting her eyes as he placed his hand on the wheels of his wheelchair and began to roll himself to the front door.

Draciana shot a bitter smile at Andreas as they both followed her master, Maria and and Gabriel following close behind. Gabriel walked faster so he could catch up to Draciana and placed a hand on her upper arm.

"Draci- Draciana, I'm sorry about my grandfather. His health is failing and he is not very grateful for the years he has had you in his service. I promise that when I become your master, I will treat you much better and appreciate you much more."

She shivered at his words which were unsettling to her and shoved his hand off of her arm as she turned to him.

"You will not disrespect master like that! He has done more than you could imagine doing and has earned the right to be angry at the country. So, I suggest you watch your words when you speak of him. I will not let you slander him again unpunished, even if it means getting punished myself." she snarled at him, walking faster ahead to catch up with Andreas and her master who had been slowly getting ahead of them.

A few minutes of silent walking and they reached the runway that her master had ordered to be built. It was common for him to receive visitors that came by private jet and he had gotten annoyed that the planes would land wherever. So he built a runway and hangar. She saw that the hangar was lit and there was a slim private jet now sitting in it. She could also see the three people who got out. The first was a man who had blonde hair with two pieces of hair that stood up, making it look like the man had horns, and he donned a brown suit. The second was a small boy with dark hair in a suit that resembled that of a butler's, and the last was an exceptionally tall man in red victorian style clothing, red glasses, and a notably large red hat. She felt surprise run through her body as the tall man turned his head towards her and let a grin that felt too familiar for comfort appear on his face. She felt her emotions bubbling up inside her the closer she got to the trio, and she had to seal them. That man was no doubt stronger than her as she could feel his dark aura become more intense as she got closer.

Noticing her master struggling with moving through the snow she grabbed the handles to his wheelchair and pushed him until they reached the tarmac where the snow had been shifted by the jet's arrival. Her master approached the trio and greeted the blonde man fondly.

"Arthur, it has been quite some time. I was beginning to think you had forgotten about me," he said in a teasing tone his grey blue eyes meeting Arthur's green ones.

"Never Dieter, I've just... been dealing with things that need to be dealt with back home."

Draciana watched the two men greet each other like old friends, and she wondered if they knew each other so well why she had never personally met him. She looked over at the man once again only to see him staring with wide eyes at the ring on her finger. She moved her hand out of sight and her eyes widened in shock as they met his strangely familiar ones. She could see a hidden layer of pain in his eyes as he looked at her. They continued to stare at each other neither of them pulling their gaze away as their masters talked. She felt pain building in up in her chest as she realized why he was so familiar, he resembled Vlad so much. In fact so much so that if she had not accepted that she would never see him again she would have run into his arms because he could have very well been her lost love. Her gaze ripped from his as her master caught her attention.

"This is Draciana, my servant. You haven't met her but I'm sure you would be more than interested to get to know her. She comes from Romania during the late 1400s, the old Queen of Romania." her master introduced her to Arthur, she watched as the male in red stiffened and his eyes opened wider his mouth opening slightly as she bowed to Arthur.

"You already know Alucard, Dieter, but I'm sure Draciana would be delighted to know another vampire. Draciana, this is Alucard, my servant."

His name began whirling in her mind more aggressively than before as she turned to him and bowed her head.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Alucard." Draciana responded to the introduction and was met with his stare and silence.

Arthur watched the interaction with an interested look in his eye.

"Why don't we head to the mansion, I'm sure we are all tired and the sun will be coming up soon so Draciana and Alucard will need to rest."

"Yes, of course. It is just a few minutes of walking I will have the other servants bring in Alucard's coffin." her master replied, a new spark in his eyes and voice as he turned his wheelchair and began trailing back to the house.

"Alucard, Walter, let's go." Arthur ordered the two. She realized that she had not been introduced to the young boy named Walter but she supposed that introductions could wait.

Draciana felt her mind and body freeze as she heard Alucard's voice say "Yes, my master."

She felt her world begin to spin as she realized that there were too many similarities between them. Their voices and look in their eyes were the same, the way he held himself was a bit more relaxed and casual than that of Vlad's but still the same. She felt her breath catch as she realized what Alucard's name spelled backwards- Dracula, the very name that belonged to her love.

She felt her mind go fuzzy and her eyesight beginning to go dark as she stumbled back and fell into Alucard, who held her up. She felt her legs giving out on her and Alucard tightened his hold to support. She raised her half lidded eyes to meet his as she shakily reached a hand upward and brushed his cheek while murmuring the name "Vlad" over and over again. He reared back and almost let go of her, but the commotion had captured Maria and Gabriel's attention. They rushed back and Gabriel ripped Draciana from Alucard's hold and shot him a glare as he lowered her to the ground calling out her name.

"Draci! Draci, wake up, it's okay I'm right here what's wrong?" he asked, holding her face as he leaned closer. Draciana felt her mind go blank and her eyes close for an unknown amount of time before her eyes opened once again to Gabriel yelling. She groaned and pushed Gabriel away and rested on the cool ground before getting up slowly and shakily. Three different hands offered her help a gloved one with a strange symbol, a hand that she recognized as Gabriel's, and a small and smooth hand that belonged to Maria. She grabbed onto Maria's hand as she did not wish to hold hands with Gabriel and did not believe that she would be able to look at Vlad- no, Alucard, once again. She could not assume that this was him, if it was why didn't he look for her, why didn't he show her some signs that it was him and had said something to her.

Growing annoyed with Gabriel's loud and constant questions she managed to let out a groan before speaking.

"Gabriel please shut up. I'm fine I just need some rest I must have pushed myself too far."

She heard Andreas snort behind her as he approached. "I told you to get some rest like me, but what didn't you do? Look at you now. Barely staying on your own feet and barely staying awake."

Draciana let out a sigh of exasperation before turning to Andreas who had a victorious smirk on his face, but worry at the same time. "Just help me get back to the mansion. I need to clear my mind and get some rest." Andreas nodded and grabbed her arm to support her as she walked. She met eyes once again with Alucard, a look of surprise made its way onto her face as she saw the outline of a single tear and pain and anger within his eyes. Who was he angry at, and why did he look so pained?

She did not remember much of the trip back to the mansion or being laid on the couch to rest. She woke up to the dark main room and sat up quickly, looking around and listening carefully for the sound of anyone being awake. The house was silent and should would have to thank Andreas as he has no doubt put her master to bed and showed Arthur, Walter, and Alucard their rooms. She froze as she heard the sound of snow crunching under someone's boot in her garden. She quietly approached the dark wooden doors and opened them to reveal Alucard in the Garden with his hat and glasses off. When she looked closer she noticed that he was holding onto one of the fully bloomed roses with a fond look on his face. She took a step forward and closed the door behind her and swallowed and asked in a shaky and quiet voice.

"Vlad?"

He turned toward her and walked toward her quickly, his steps angry and heavy as he got closer to Draciana. She took a step back but decided to face him, she had to know if her love was standing right in front of her or if he was truly gone. He towered over her with mixed emotions. Of anger, sadness, pain, and hope as he leaned closer to her face and growling out.

"Where did you hear that name? Why are you exactly like her, why do you have her name and the ring I gave her?"

She felt hope rise in her heart at his words, he had also noticed similarities that were far too close to be a mere coincidence.

"Who, who is she?" she raised her voice back at him. She did not like it, but if he said her name she would finally have closure. She could possibly happy once again.

A snarl appeared on his face "Draciana Ardelean Tepes, my wife. Now who are you, are you a punishment for the sin I committed? For killing my wife?"

His eyes widened as she quickly caught his face in her hands and smiled at him as tears began to flow down her face. She gently brushed her thumb over his cheek "You never killed me Vlad, I don't think you would be able to even if you were in your most violent rage."

"You cannot be her. I killed her that night, there is no way she is alive, that you are her." He dropped to his knee and covered his face with one hand as a single tear slipped down his face, the realization finally dawning upon him that this was the very woman he loved and thought he had lost.

Draciana dropped to her knees in front of him and grabbed his face once more and pressed her forehead against his and murmured quietly to him. "Nu-mi plângeți regele, acum sunt aici și nu mă voi lăsa niciodată separat de tine." She wiped away the tear that had fallen as he took her hand and placed a kiss on the ring that sat on her finger. As he looked into her eyes, he was now relaxed and at peace. Had his eyes been blue, she would not have been able to mistake him for merely someone that resembled him. His eyes fluttered closed as she pressed a soft kiss to his temple. He pulled her tightly to his chest, holding her as if he could lose her again if let her go. Draciana felt her smile grow as she began running her fingers through his silky black hair making him relax more and a low rumble to come from his chest as he buried his face into the side of her head, closing his eyes as her familiar scent of lavender and roses swirled around him. She looked up at the sky, they still had some time before they had to return to their rooms and sleep.

She looked up at him and poked his forehead resulting in him opening his eyes and giving her a displeased look. She felt a laugh bubble up inside as she saw his expression and quickly put her hand over her mouth to stop herself from bursting out laughing. Alucard opened his mouth to make a comment but she put a finger on his lips, silencing him as she shifted herself in his arms to make it easier to look at him.

"Don't fall asleep just yet, lubirea mea, we have a lot of catching up to do. I want to hear what you have experienced in the centuries we have been apart."

The abnormally wide grin from before returned to his face and excitement appeared in his red eyes as he cupped her cheek and leaned close until their foreheads were touching. "As you wish, regina mea." he purred.

 **(I'm sorry for the wait on the chapter they should be coming on a more timely basis! I really hope you enjoy and any and all feedback is appreciated )**


	5. The Hunt Begins

Draciana opened the lid of her coffin as she sat up sleepily. She had not slept that peacefully in centuries. It was a strange but wonderful sensation to wake up to the feeling of peace. As she stood up she realized that she was still wearing the same outfit from yesterday, her boots on the floor next to the coffin. She looked out the window that had beautiful patterns of frost appearing around the edges and she could feel the dool and crisp air seeping. She loved the smells of nature, especially the train, so the window was always cracked open to allow some air in. A thought suddenly crossed her mind as her face twisted in didn't remember coming back inside, let alone getting her boots off and into the coffin. Had Vlad brought her back? She felt warmth spread through her chest at the thought of him carrying her out of the garden and into her room. How had he even known which room was hers? She stood up as more thoughts began to whirl around her mind; she would have to watch what she called him as her master did not know that Alucard was Vlad. Gabriel's increased attempts to catch her attention and heart were going to become a problem. While he had not done much in front of others Vlad would be far from pleased seeing him in her room, let alone flirting with her. And if he did decide to increase his moves to in public around the others and Vlad things would not end well. If he reacted the same way he did when they were human, not only would their relationship would be out in the open but there was no way of knowing what he would do to Gabriel. Draciana's thoughts paused as she realized that she had changed into a new pair of clothes that resembled the outfit she had worn yesterday but was instead white with golden accents while she had been in deep thought. She reached for her hairbrush as a knock sounded from her door and a familiar- not mentioning unwelcome- voice broke the silence.

"Do you need something, Gabriel?" Draciana asked as she opened the door and moved to the side as he walked into her room once again without permission. Gabriel did not reply at first as he entered the room, only walked to the opposite side of the room and turn around to face her as he leaned against the wardrobe.

"You didn't tell me you were of royalty, my queen- _regina mea_ , in your language. I would have brought you presents every time I was graced by your presence. And what will it take for you to call me Gabe? Gabriel is too…formal." Gabriel said to Draciana, a mischievous look in his eyes. He pulled out a box and opened it, revealing a golden necklace with a rose pendant made of small rubies.

"I said I would get you something newer and more beautiful, didn't I?" Draciana stiffened at his sudden comment and the necklace that he pulled out right after.

"I did not tell you because it is apart of my past which is not necessary for you to know. It is something that is kept between those whom I trust. Your pronunciation is awful, you should practice more before you try something like that again. And keep it, I have no need for a replacement let alone any more jewelry. Besides it would probably break if I got into a fight." Draciana replied as calmly as she could as she returned to the table by her coffin, picking up her brush so she could finish preparing and begin taking care of both her chores and the guests that now resided in the mansion. She stopped for a moment and took a breath and closed her eyes, she had been losing her temper far too easily lately. She would have to be careful when comforting these things since Vlad- no, Alucard, was with her once again. Much to her relief Gabriel remained silent while she finished brushing her waist length blonde hair, allowing her some time to regain her composure fully. She set the hair brush back down and began walking out of the room, stopping to look at Gabriel just in front of the door. "I must attend to my chores and the guests now. Why don't you go help Maria make food while I go get master." she said in a stern tone, purposefully leaving no room for more conversation. Gabriel walked past her silently, not glancing at her or giving her a large smile like he normally would as he walked out of the room. She watched as he clenched his jaw and fist simultaneously, the necklace bunching up in his hand. She felt sudden stabbing guilt as she watched him walk downstairs. She didn't want to be harsh with him, but he had to understand that she did not feel the same as he did and did not want to be in a relationship with him.

She closed the door quietly and looked towards the room where Alucard, his master, and the boy Walter were staying. If she did not see them downstairs she would come get them. But first she needed to get her master up before he tried doing so on his own. As she was walking down the hall she noticed that some servants were lighting the candles and lanterns that she normally would. Had she been asleep for so long that the servants took it upon themselves to help with her chores? She made a mental note reminding herself to thank them when she could. She walked down the stairs, gently trailing her fingers on the banister. As she reached the stairs she could hear voices coming from the main room, Alucard and the voice she recognizes as Arthur's were easily heard among the low chatter of the children. She hoped that they had been able to sleep well last night. She walked past the doorway to the main room and to her master's door, pausing to look at Andreas' door on the left that had light flooding out from under it. She quietly opened the door to see her master sitting up in bed trying to reach for his wheelchair. She saw him beginning to fall to the floor, quickly lunged forward and wrapped her arms around his shoulders to keep him from hitting the floor. She sighed out in relief as she helped him sit back upright, silently thanking her increased speed.

"Master, why did you not call for me? You know I would have come instantly to help you, you could have seriously injured yourself!" She scolded gently, receiving a grunt in response as he adjusted himself. He watched her walk to the table where his medicine and a glass of water sat. She handed both of them to the man and turned to the dark wooden dresser where his clothes were stored, pulling out an outfit for him to wear.

"You needed to rest, you've been working yourself hard and Andreas said you were out in the garden late at night. I would have been just fine." he grumbled out as she heard the rustling of clothes.

Her tone softened and a smile formed on her face. "Master, you need not worry about me, I am your servant and it is my duty to complete your every need and demand. And you forget that I am a vampire and can take more than a normal human can."

"Being a vampire does not make you immortal. Do not argue with me, child." Her master barked out as annoyance filled his voice. Before she could stop it, laughter burst from her as she bent over and gripped her stomach.

Draciana managed to catch her breath and pause her laughter enough so she could reply. "'Child'? Master, it seems your old age is messing with your brain. Because, if I remember correctly, I took care of you when _you_ were a child. I could remind you of a few of your interesting habits from your childhood-" She was stopped mid sentence because her master had thrown a book that had appeared out of nowhere at her. She was too occupied with her laughing fit to bother moving out of the way as the spine of the book slammed into her head.

"You will do no such thing!" he shouted at her as a light blush spread across his cheeks, his ears turning bright red.

Her laughter died to a snicker as she opened the door wider so her master could wheel himself out to the main room with everyone else. He shot a playful glare at her with a joyous twinkle in his eyes as he wheeled past her. She wished nothing more than to make her master's final years peaceful in return for the kindness he had shown to her unlike his ancestors, and how his first order had been for to make the beds. That simple order had completely changed her mindset, she was not ordered to hunt and kill but to do a mere house chore for him. She was forever in his debt for bringing her out of the submissive state she had once been in.

The pair stopped as the door to Andreas's room opened and he walked out with a tired stumble and his shoulders slumped, Draciana stiffened as she remembered her master's words from earlier. Andreas had seen her in the garden with Alucard. If he had seen her in the garden and when she came back in, then he would have seen her and Alucard, especially if Alucard had carried her into her room as she suspected.

"I shall go start some coffee and make sure the food and table are ready." she stated shortly and quickly walked away and into the kitchen.

As she walked into the kitchen she was greeted by the smell of soup, Sauerbraten, and gravy. The kitchen was brightly lit and the air was light and as a relaxed sense to it as Maria rushed around making sure the food was not ruined and that Gabriel was not trying to do something on his own again. He had almost burnt down the kitchen last time he attempted to cook dinner. Maria noticed her walk in and gave her a large smile as she rushed over to stir the soup and Gabriel who was getting out dishes for everyone and he gave her a radiant smile. She let out an exasperated sigh as Gabriel passed by. She was happy that he had returned to his normal self, but was also slightly concerned at how fast he had recovered. Draciana grabbed a kettle and let it fill with water as she turned on the oven and grabbed some coffee grounds. As she looked out the window, a thought invaded her mind. Everyone in this mansion had such abnormal sleeping schedules. Andreas barely slept while her master slept in small increments throughout the day and night. She wondered how the Hellsings fared with hunting the creatures of the night while being human. The pot began to boil, so she grabbed a strainer and poured the water over the coffee grounds, letting it sit before pouring it into two mugs.

"Maria, is the food ready? I'm sure everyone is waiting, especially the little ones." Draciana called out, her smile growing a bit as she heard the children talking and letting out muffled laughs as they seemingly ran around the main room, no doubt playing freely now that they had the freedom to do so. Maria nodded at Draciana and glanced over at the filled bowls and plates before she resumed serving out the food. Gabriel grabbed three bowls one again but was stopped by Maria, who placed her hand on her hip and poked her finger into his chest.  
"Two at a time, we don't need a worse repeat of yesterday. _Especially_ in front of Sir Hellsing." Maris said in a flat voice and looked him in the eyes as she took a bowl away and set it down. Draciana let out a chuckle as she walked out with two bowls in her hands to avoid getting scolded by the younger female. As she walked by the group, Aliza shouted what sounded like a greeting and ran up to her, followed by the other kids. Draciana smiled at the children as she walked towards the table the had been extended to fit everyone. She studied each one of them carefully and noticed that the color had begun to return to their faces and their eyes had life slowly coming back to them and the rings under their eyes had faded a bit. Their hair had also been washed and they wore the new clean clothes that she had set out for had always loved children, they managed to see the light in things that adults don't and they always had a sense of hope to them. She passed Alucard who sat on a chair with his long leg crossed over the other and his hands sat on his knee. She barely met his eyes as they peered out from under his large hat and a smile worked its way onto his face, showing his teeth. She noticed Arthur looking on in interest as he sat next to Andreas, and she quickly looked away, set the bowls on the table, and pulled out the chairs and helped the children into their seats as Rebecca and her husband joined them. Maria came out with two more bowls of soup and placed them in front of all of them. her master wheeled himself to the head of the table and was followed by Arthur, Andreas and Walter as she went to fetch the rest of the food with Maria.

The soup had been for the people who had been starved of proper food for so long and the sauerbraten was for the others, but Draciana had told Maria to add small, thin pieces to the soup to add more taste to it. Draciana grabbed a glass for Alucard and a knife so she could cut her palm and give some blood to Alucard, as all the blood was stored in a different underground room that was kept cold at all times and she did not have time to go down and get some quickly. She grabbed the last plate and carried the glass with her back into the main room and set the plate down in front of her master and walked over to Alucard who was watching her approach him. She handed the glass to him before turning to sit in the chair across from him and watched as he took a sip and his eyes raised an eyebrow at his reaction before he looked at her.

"I haven't tasted your blood in centuries yet it has not changed a single bit, it is just as delectable before, And what of you, draga, why are you not drinking?" Draciana glared at him as a embarrassment spread throughout her, his way with words had not changed a single bit either. She felt herself stumble over the question, no one had ever asked her why she hadn't drank except her master who did so rarely, and being called such a name was now a foreign yet familiar feeling. That's right, no matter how happy she was to have him back she had not had a companion like him since her death meaning that she would have to adjust to having him with her again and she would have to learn him all over again just as he would for her.

Being lost in her thoughts she had not noticed Alucard stand up and walk infront of her until he had crouched down and grabbed her chin making her look him in the eyes. Draciana felt herself melt into his hand but was snapped back into reality as she heard footsteps and she quickly pulled away from him as Alucard turned to glare at who had interrupted them.

Aliza peaked around the corner and Draciana hit Alucard lightly on the chest as she stood up and walked to the girl and crouched in front of her. Before she could say anything an empty glass was held in front of her face as Aliza shyly looked up at her. She stood up and walked into the kitchen through the other doorway so they wouldn't disturb the others who were eating. Alucard had followed and Aliza looked up in amazement at the tall red male that walked near her. Aliza slowed down and pulled at the bottom of his coat to get his attention. At first he ignored her but a scolding look from Draciana made him look down at the small girl.

"Do you need something little one?' Alucard asked as his red eyes stared into hers. Aliza faltered at his stare and when he saw the look on her face he began to look away before she quickly shouted, "Vos iz deyn nomen?!" Alucard's eyes widened before he looked at Draciana for an explanation. Draciana felt joy rush through as she began to realize that while his cold and terrifying exterior had grown harder there was still the man who held passion and kindness in his heart, even if they were a rare sight for most people.

"She's asking for your name, _Lubirea mea_." Draciana replied in a teasing tone and emphasizing the pet name as she turned around and continued walking. Alucard went to follow but was stopped by Aliza who had stepped in front of him and placed her hands on her hips and looked at him with a determined face. Alucard let a grin form on his face allowing his sharp teeth to show.

"Well aren't you a brave little one. My name is Alucard." Aliza tried to pronounce his name correctly much to his amusement and let out a loud cheer as he was walking away when she finally got it right. It would very entertaining for her to try and say his true name if she struggled with this one.

"Don't even think about it, Alucard." Draciana called from the kitchen as she walked back to Aliza.

He leaned down to meet her eyes as she gave the water to Aliza and sent her back to the table.

"What could you ever mean, draga?" he purred as he leaned closer. Draciana looked at him with a straight face and placed her hand on his face stopping him from getting closer

'You are going to have to try harder than that Alucard, you have centuries to make up for." she said as she walked around im. She wanted nothing more than to be back in his arms once again but they had both changed in their own ways and she wanted to make sure that they truly knew each other before they began moving forward in their relationship again. She felt her wrist being grabbed and she was gently pulled into Alucards chest and looked up at him with shock in her eyes. He leaned closer in a familiar fashion and said lowly as he stared into her eyes.

"Then allow me to get to know you once again, maybe a dance to kick things off once again." he said, a familiar look coming into his eyes.

"Alucard, if you look into my mind without permission I will make sure there will be a punishment. And that's not fair, you are doing the same thing as before." She replied, gently pushing at his chest.

"You didn't mention any rules, _draga mea_ , and I am eager to know how you would try and punish me." She felt her cheeks flare as a blush formed on her face as she swatted at Alucard. He took a few steps backwards to avoid her hit.

"Alucard! Wipe that grin off your face right now and stop those thoughts of yours!" Draciana scolded as she began to advance towards him, but was stopped by a familiar voice calling her name. Gabriel rounded the corner into the hallway where the pair was standing. He quickly approached Draciana and grabbed her arms turning her to him.

"Are you alright? I heard you yelling and-" "Gabriel, stop it. I'm fine, I appreciate the concern but I am more of capable of defending myself, even if it's against Alucard." She heard him chuckle behind her and gave him a glare. Gabriel quietly spoke up with his eyes downcast. "Do you know each other?" Draciana felt herself stiffen at the question, if she told the truth she risked her master finding out about their relationship. Bubt if she lied she would get into major trouble with her master.

"Whether we know each other or not is none of your business. And I'd suggest you get your dirty hands off her, she doesn't look pleased to be helped by such a pathetic being." Gabriel turned his attention to Alucard and took a step toward him with a glare, but before things could escalate more Draciana grabbed the back of Gabriel's collar and pulled him back.

"Enough, Gabriel! I know you didn't come here just because you heard yelling, did master call for me?"

Gabriel looked at her in shock before replying lowly. "Grandfather and Sir Hellsing want both of you to come to his office to discuss the plans to take down the Nazis that are messing with the vampires."

"Thank you Gabriel. Come, Alucard, we shouldn't keep them waiting long. And I'm sure you are more than excited to get out and hunt again." Draciana said as she began leading him to her master's office and walked by Gabriel who was now glaring once again at Alucard. They walked for a bit longer in silence before Draciana spoke up.

"Alucard, you must watch how you act around the others. No one knows about our past and relationship, not even our masters."

"So you do consider us in a relationship still. I should have guessed from the ring you still wear." Alucard teased.

"Alucard-"

"As you wish, regina mea. However, do not expect me to be so kind to that boy, he needs to learn his place." Alucard said, his eyes narrowing.

Draciana allowed her body to relax as she approached the door and opened it, stepping into the room that Andreas, Arthur and her master were. They fell silent as the pair entered the room and Arthur leaned forward saying

"Now that everyone is here, shall we begin?"

Draciana listened silently as Andreas began reporting what he had heard from his resources with Poland. The Germans were diving into the powers of artificial vampires and while they were far from achieving their goal this was still a dangerous and inhumane situation that needed to be stopped before they progressed further. Draciana felt unwanted memories bubble from the depth of her mind but could not push them down as they forced their way up. Humans had been delving into the idea of making artificial vampires for a long time now, and she had seen first hand how far some were willing to go to achieve their goal. When she had been discovered by those scientists she was scared but when Germans had come to meet her she had relaxed a bit more. They were people that she could speak with and understand and they reassured her they wouldn't hurt her, while they had kept their promise the higher ups took no notice of the promise and took her to that damned facility.

Before she was dragged deeper into the memories her attention was drawn by her master finally speaking up after Andreas finished relaying the information to everyone.

"I am sure you were aware of this situation already, Arthur. But I didn't call you here just to tell you this. Andreas' informants have reported two more things. The location of one of the sites, in fact the major one which is in Poland and that some of their… experiments have escaped and are making their way into Allied territories."

Arthur sat there saying nothing as he thought before he turned his attention towards the air of vampires and then back to her master.

"I am not surprised you knew I was looking for the base, Dieter. You may be old but you are far from lacking in intelligence. My servants shall hunt down the escaped vampires first before they start making trouble. Andreas, did your informants tell you of their locations?"

Dieter answered for Andreas "Not the exact locations, merely an estimation of the areas they are in although with Draciana helping Walter and Alucard, I'm sure you will have no trouble finding them and taking them down."

Draciana heard Alucard shift beside her and she looked out of the corner of her eye to see that a large grin had made its way onto his face once again as excitement filled his red eyes.

Their eyes met, and despite her usual composed and calm mood, she grinned back and took a step forward and bowed.

"When shall we begin my master, Sir Hellsing?" a large grin formed it's way onto Arthur's face as his bright blue eyes gleamed and he leaned back resting his hands on his knees.

"Tonight."

"As you wish," Draciana replied. While she enjoyed the simple tasks, it had been a while since she had been on the field and she had grown restless. Although she never did find much joy in killing, the thought of being out and fighting was thrilling. She gently placed her hand on the hilt of the sword she cherished so deeply and walked out of the room, closely followed by Alucard. Her first hunt with the one she loved.

 **(I hope I wrote Alucard and Arthur good it was the first time I've written them so any advice if I messed anything is up. Remember any and all feedback is welcomed even if you think it is too weird, I hope you all enoy!)**


	6. Broken Pieces

As Draciana and Alucard walked down the hall towards the main room, Draciana heard her name being called by both Arthur and Gabriel. Both of them paused and she turned around to see Arthur with Gabriel, who was close behind him with an excited look on his face as he waved to her. Arthur approached her and she noticed that the young boy, Walter, was by his side with an annoyed look as Gabriel followed them, talking in a loud voice. She studied him as they approached. He wore black dress pants and a white dress shirt with a purple tie, a black vest, and black fingerless gloves. Her eyes met his, and before she could study him more, Arthur spoke.

"Draciana, this is my other servant, Walter. He will be accompanying you along with Alucard and Gabriel."

"Gabriel? Gabriel has not had any experience on the field, let alone shooting and hunting a vampire! He will get himself or one of us killed!" Draciana exclaimed as shock ran through her body. Why in the world would her master even consider allowing Gabriel to come with them?

Gabriel stepped forward and spoke up before Arthur could speak, receiving an annoyed glare from Walter.

"Come on Draci, have some faith in me. Besides how am I gonna get experience with the old man's gun by shooting at dummies? Vampires are a whole different level." Draciana let out a sigh as she heard Alucard shift beside her, the air around him becoming a bit more aggressive. They needed to leave soon- the flight to Moscow would be three hours and she had no idea how long it would take to find the vampires and take them down.

"Fine, Gabriel, but you will listen to us and not try and play hero. This is no practice mission, these are vampires who are experiments and will not show you any mercy. Hurry up, we cannot waste any more time. Thank you, Sir Hellsing. We shall head out now." Walter let out a snicker as he walked past to join Draciana and Alucard. The trio walked to the door before Gabriel pulled himself together and quickly followed.

The flight had been quiet as Walter had no interest in talking with Gabriel and had completely turned away from him after telling very bluntly to shut up. Draciana felt her eye twitch at the two before she grabbed her sword and gently pulled it out of its sheath. The flight was three hours, which gave her plenty of time to sharpen and clean her sword. Alucard's attention was instantly drawn to her as he noticed the sword that she held. He stared at her expression which had significantly softened and smile began making its way onto her face which gave the appearance that it was glowing as the sun set. Before she could begin sharpening the sword, she felt Alucard lean close to her face, hearing a content rumble coming from his chest as he stared at the sword, reaching over to gently take the sword from her grasp. He examined it idly, speaking into her ear.

"Why am I not surprised you still have my gift to you in pristine condition? I still remember the day I gave it to you. Your reaction will forever stay in my mind. The beautiful smile that adorned your face and how tightly you had hugged me. It was truly-"

Draciana quickly pulled away from him and grabbed her sword from his hands, looking away as she felt her cheeks flush. Alucard let out a chuckle with a triumphant look in his eyes as she began sharpening her sword, still blushing furiously despite her best efforts. The rest of the flight was spent in silence as Draciana attempted to ignore Alucard's stares and light touches when their shoulders touched. She felt strangely uncomfortable. She didn't _want_ to- was the man she had chosen to marry- but it had been too long since she had had such an intimate interaction with someone. She felt herself begging to relax into the interactions as they got close to their destination but she pulled away as she noticed Gabriel's jealous look. She was getting far too comfortable and Gabriel was the last person she wanted finding out about their past. She also noticed Walter staring at her, seemingly _studying_ her, which oddly unnerved her.

The group landed a mile from the border of Moscow and Ukraine, where snow covered the ground and clouds covered the sky, still letting drips of moonlight shine through. Draciana made sure her boots were strapped tightly and her sword was securely attached to her waist. She looked over at Alucard who was examining his gun and Walter who was moving his fingers as what looked like thin pieces of wire that caught the moon's light twined around them. She turned to Gabriel who was attempting to copy Alucard as they had similar guns, but ended up emptying all of the bullets into the snow before scrambling to pick them up. God save her if Gabriel was going to be like this for the entire hunt.

Walter spoke, not bothering to make eye contact with Draciana. "Shouldn't we get moving already? It's beginning to snow again, which slows us down already, but no doubt the idiot over there is going to slow us down even more. He doesn't even know how to check his own gun and I highly doubt he even knows how to aim it." he was looking at Gabriel as he spoke, as if emphasizing his point. Gabriel froze mid-process of trying to reload his gun and gave a sheepish smile as he rubbed the back of his head before returning to what he was doing. Draciana felt a headache coming on as Alucard let out a loud laugh as he saw Gabriel. Walter was no doubt a very confident soldier, but he was too confident and cocky and easily saw others as below him. And Gabriel was oblivious as ever to the situation he was in, not only had he jumped in on the mission with little to no training for hunting vampires but he was absolutely oblivious to Walter's insult.

"Yes, you are right. We should get moving now before the snow begins to slow us down too much. Gabriel, please hurry up." Draciana sighed as she began walking alongside Alucard and Walter followed behind them with Gabriel at the back of the group, letting out a small shout of victory as he finally got his gun into proper order.

The snowfall was light, much to their luck, so they would not be slowed down too much but there was enough snow to cover tracks that had been left by the vampires. They would have to rely mostly on hearing and smell in order to find them. Draciana and Alucard walked together in silence, waiting for any sign of the vampires while Walter looked around. While Walter was certainly cocky and had a foul mouth as she saw when he spoke to Gabriel after telling him to shut up he was truly a formidable soldier. His eyes were sharp and aware, his fingers ready to move his wires the second something caught his attention. Draciana shot a quick glance at Alucard who looked extremely happy to be hunting as his long legs moved fast within the snow. How they were now, walking side by side in silence in the quiet snowfall, she felt comfortable and happy. She was used to this as she had done it many times with Andreas and her master, and a few others whom she held closely to her heart. It was a relief to know that she still had the ability to be comfortable and happy with him, the moment they shared in the garden hadn't been a mere fluke of their joy. But at the same time she grew more frustrated with herself, she knew who he was and yet for some reason she felt as if she knew too little about him anymore, and he about her. She quickly pulled out of her thoughts before they got deeper and upset her more. She would not hide anymore, she would talk to him when they returned from the hunt about how she felt and she would do all she could to regain the relationship they once had. Alucard had been aware of her discomfort and had lowered his usual attitude when it came to interacting with her but she needed him to understand. They were still Draciana and Vlad, but there was no doubt that they had changed and would have to learn and trust each other once again.

She felt excited about the thought of learning how he had changed but also worried, she could tell his defences had built up once again and thickened from when she broke through them. She knew he was holding back things when he told her of his life with the Hellsings, he had stopped before the day he had met his first master and changed the subject to something else. It was like they were back to square one and she knew there would be plenty of work to do, but would it take another year?

She was pulled out of her thoughts by Gabriel's voice breaking the silence.

"So Walter, how did you meet Arthur? What weapon do you use- I don't see a gun or a sword. You know who I am right?"

"Do not speak his name with such formality you lowly bastard. And how observant to see I don't have a gun or a sword but apparently not observant enough to see the wires, even _she_ noticed them and she wasn't looking hard." Walter snapped as his eye twitched as he pointed at Draciana.

"And yes, I know your name. You have said it so many damn times but I don't care enough to know more. Now would you leave me alone already and shut the hell up? I don't want you getting in my way so stay away from me!"

Draciana had to hold in her laughter as she heard Walter snap at Gabriel and sped up so that Draciana and Alucard were in between them while Gabriel had a shocked look on his face. Alucard let out a chuckle as he watched Walter squeezed between them and walked ahead. Draciana caught a familiar scent as the wind blew into her face and she quickly said

"I can smell blood and it's not animal, we should hurry up. We are getting closer and have been walking for long enough that the scent is fading."

"Your reaction times haven't dulled, my dear, you smelled it just before me. I wonder what else you can still do." Alucard purred, leaning close as his eyes glowed in reaction to the smell of blood. She felt her cheeks heat up as she swatted at him, almost catching his head before he leaned back with a grin.

"We are hunting two vampires that could be extremely dangerous and you are making comments like this? It seems you haven't changed at all when it comes to these situations." she scolded, placing her hands on her hips giving him an annoyed and embarrassed glare, much to Alucard's amusement. Walter let out an annoyed groan as he turned to the two and Gabriel stepped closer to Draciana, a jealous look in his eyes. "You said the scent was getting faint, so shouldn't we get moving? I mean, the faster we get this done, the better, right?"

"The idiot is right. You two can't be out for too long- the sun will start rising in a few hours and then there will be no way of knowing where they went by then." Walter added. Draciana nodded and began to follow the scent before she lost track of it.

They had been walking for almost two hours and the scent was very strong, meaning that they were close to their targets, but the entire group had noticed that Gabriel was slowing down rapidly and was having difficulty moving his legs.

"Draci, should we take a break? I mean it would be best to have our energy back for when we confront the vampires," Gabriel started, interrupted when Walter replied in a blunt tone. "We? You are barely walking right now, how in the hell do you plan to fight a vampire let alone two when you are like this? Just hope that they don't move while you take your sweet time to aim and shoot? Fat chance. We should leave this nuisance here before he gets us injured or kill-"

Draciana stopped Walter before he could continue his small rant.

"You are correct that Gabriel should stay back while we finish the mission, but he is my master's grandson and it was my master's wish that he come and help us. We will rest for a little bit but that is all. We cannot risk wasting any more time."

Draciana looked around for a suitable area and walked over to a small clearing with a pair of fallen trees and sat on the trunk of one as Alucard and Walter leaned on the same trunk on both sides of her while Gabriel flopped onto the snow and leant against the trunk across from them. There was silence at first before Draciana turned to Walter who turned his attention to her with a blunt expression.

"Walter, I noticed earlier when we were readying up that you use wire when did you learn to use them?" Walter remained silent before answering

"Why do you want to know, do you think that just because you have gotten all close to that dog and my master has taken a shine to you that we will become buddies. That's hilarious!" he laughed and Draciana felt her eye twitch but she left the conversation there. She was not in the mood to fight with someone she was meant to work with,

Silence once again fell over the group before Draciana stood up and started walking to the scent once again. "We should get moving. We have rested for long enough, the sun will be rising soon."

Gabriel stood up as quickly as he could and followed behind with a little more energy and rushed to catch up with the group before he fell behind. The scent was getting stronger and when they entered a clearing about half a hour away from the clearing they had rested in the scent completely surrounded them. In the center was the body of a deer with blood matting its neck, the vampires nowhere in sight. Alucard approached the left of the clearing with Walter while Draciana and Gabriel approached the right side cautiously. Draciana was confused, the scent was strong and all around them and did not trace off elsewhere- the vampires should be here. Gabriel began walking ahead of her and she heard shifting in the trees before she grabbed the back of Gabriel's collar and threw him back as she pulled out her sword. She jumped back when one of the vampires lunged out of the tree at them. The vampire was fully grown and female with extremely short brown hair and ragged clothe and she felt horror run through her as she saw the familiar star stitched onto her clothes. She shot a glance behind her and noticed that the other vampire, who was male with a completely shaved head and similar clothing, was confronting Alucard and Walter alone, far from a smart choice but the two pairs were now separated by the vampires.

She watched the vampire in front of her and watched as it aggressively kept lunging at her and letting out animalistic snarls as its wild red eyes locked onto hers. They acted animalistic just like the ones at the facility, but they were stronger and faster than she had thought. Gabriel would need to stay out of this fight for both his and her safety- she would have to concentrate on the vampire and not him.

"Gabriel, stay back! These vampires are different from normal ones, you won't stand a chance! Don't argue with me right now!" Draciana dodged another lunge from the vampire and heard gunshots from the other side of the clearing. The vampire pulled out a large knife and locked blades with Draciana's sword while snarling and pushing its face close to hers. Draciana pushed the vampire away as she stepped backwards to allow more attacks, if she was to do this as safely as possible she needed to learn the pattern and then take the vampire down in a single hit. As Draciana kept stepping back, waiting for the perfect moment to strike, Gabriel began shooting at the vampire, missing the first four shots.

"Gabriel, what are you doing? I told you to stay out of this!" Draciana yelled, swinging her claymore down as the vampire turned its attention to Gabriel.

"It was pushing you back, what else was I supposed to do?" Gabriel shouted, getting ready to aim again.

"Gabriel, listen to me! I was letting the vampire push me back, stop playing hero already and _listen_!" she yelled. The yelling had caught the attention of Walter and Alucard, the latter of which had decided to stop playing with the vampire and killed it with a single shot to the head. He turned to make his way over just in time to see Draciana swinging her claymore for the killing blow and Gabriel aiming at the vampire while she was behind the vampire. Draciana felt her eyes widen as she realized what Gabriel was doing and began to move out of the way, but before she could fully move Gabriel fired and she felt her shoulder go numb as the vampire screeched and fell to the ground.

Draciana stood there for a second in stunned silence before letting out a cry and dropping to her knees, gripping her shoulder as she felt the silver bullet burning within it. She felt someone grab her other shoulder and her hip, holding her still as they yelled at Gabriel. As her shock wore off she felt the pain lessen and her mind begin to clear up. She found out it was Alucard who was holding and was furiously yelling at Gabriel for being so reckless and not listening. In Between the yelling and the pain, Draciana pushed Alucard away as gently as she could so she could have some space. She heard the vampire moving again but before he could fully stand up it was killed by Walter's wires. As she stood up she saw Gabriel's horrified face and Walter's slightly shocked one. She turned to apologize to Alucard for pushing him away and to assure him she was alright, but he had stepped away completely and she could barely see the hurt and anger in his eyes as he looked away.

Draciana felt guilt grip her heart as she began to scold herself. Why had she pushed him away like that? He was only being protective in the way he knew how, and she most likely had given him the wrong message. She heard Gabriel calling the helicopter, asking them to pick them up directly and felt a stare boring into the side of her head. She looked and saw that Alucard was staring at her once again and was looking over her, pausing briefly when his eyes met hers before looking away once again.

The flight back seemed so much longer than the flight there, and Draciana had tried to get Alucard to look at her before giving up and leaning her head back and closing her eyes. She had opened her eyes slightly to look at Alucard and was relieved to meet his eyes, it was clear he was irritated but the pain and anger was gone from his expression. She began to let her eyes close again but they opened once more as Alucard's leg bumped roughly against hers.

"I'm terribly sorry, my dear. I don't know what happened, I couldn't control it." Alucard replied in a tone that wasn't even close to matching his expression. She stared at him with a blank look before turning away from him, mumbling. "Remind me why I felt guilty for pushing you away."

Alucard leaned closer to her, his chin resting on her uninjured shoulder and his hand on her arm. "You always have, regina mea, shall I remind you of how you ran into my arms every time the next day?" Her hand whipped out and caught the side of his head and sent his hat flying before holding up three fingers.

"I assure you, love, it was more than three times shall I go over each-" Draciana pushed a finger against his lips to silence him, murmuring about how she was tired and for him to be quiet. He chuckled before leaning back and reaching to pick up his hat before resting back into the seat and remaining silent. When she heard Alucard stop moving she opened her eyes as thoughts began to whirl around her mind. She really needed to keep her emotions in check before she snapped.

The helicopter finally arrived back at the mansion. The sky was barely brighter, but morning would be coming soon. Alucard stepped out first, followed by Walter, then Draciana and Gabriel. Draciana noticed Sir Hellsing, her master, and Andreas waiting for them to arrive. When Draciana stepped out she instantly locked eyes with her master and saw the fury growing in his eyes as his eyes trailed over her bloody shoulder and caught Gabriel's guilty and tired look as he hung his head. Andreas quickly walked up to the group and approached Draciana, grabbing her arm and carefully inspecting her shoulder.

"Gutter Gott, Draciana, what the hell happened? There was no mention of the vampires having guns and silver bullets!" Andreas exclaimed, looking around to the other three for an explanation as Draciana pulled her arm gently away.

"Andreas, I'm fine, don-"

"The blonde idiot didn't listen and instead of shooting and killing the vampire he missed the killing blow and shot her in the process." Walter interrupted Draciana with a bored look and a blunt tone as he gestured his head towards Gabriel, who stiffened and shifted uncomfortably in the spot he stood in. Draciana opened her mouth and closed it as she watched her master grip the armrests of his wheelchair in silence and his jaw clench as he closed his eyes. She hadn't seen her master this angry since one of his scientists had performed an experiment without any permission. He opened his eyes and spoke lowly.

"Gabriel, I want you in my office after we are given the full report of what happened. Draciana, go find Maria, get the bullet removed and your shoulder patched up, and then get some rest. I will speak with you later. Andreas, Arthur, let us head to the office and hear the full report from Walter and Alucard."

Draciana bowed to her master and said nothing so she wouldn't anger her master any further. She heard crunching footsteps follow her into the house and followed her into the main room where she could hear Maria talking to Aliza and the other children. She peeked around the corner and hid her left shoulder so she wouldn't scare the kids with the sight of blood. It was the last thing they needed to see after the ordeal they escaped.

"Maria, can you help me for a second?" she called out, smiling and giving a wave as Aliza peeked around Maria and waved back, the four others following suit. Rebecah was off on the other side of room sitting back in a large chair as her husband massaged her feet and spoke softly to her. Maria turned around quickly and smiled as she stood up from the floor and walked into the hallway where Draciana and a silent Gabriel waited.

"Draciana, you are back! How did everything go, smoothly I ho-" she cut herself off as she saw Draciana's bloody left shoulder. Maria grimaced and peeked back into the room before turning back to Gabriel and Draciana.

"Let me get everyone back to bed and get some medical supplies, wait for me in the kitchen. I'll be as quick as I can. Gabriel, are you injured as well?" Maria said worry filling her eyes as he remained silent and did not look up.

"Gabriel is uninjured. And don't rush, you may cause them to panic if you start ushering them back in there. I've been shot in the shoulder, not the chest or stomach. How many times must I say-"

"Yes, yes I know you are vampire and a stubborn vampire at that. As stubborn as the master that you currently serve, in fact. Now go sit down before you get blood all over the place- the floors were just cleaned." Maria said in an exasperated tone before turning Draciana around and giving her a slight push in the direction of the kitchen. Draciana let out a smirk as she allowed herself to be pushed forward and began walking to the kitchen once again being followed by Gabriel. She entered the dimly lit kitchen that still had the faint smell of soup and meat. The pair took seats across from each other at the table in the kitchen. Draciana sat in silence, staring at the flame of the candle that sat on the table before glancing up at Gabriel. His hair was messy and tangled and his face lacked any expression as he stared at the flame, his eyes unfocused.

"You are quiet Gabriel, are you alright? You aren't hurt are you?" Draciana asked, placing her chin on her palm and stared at Gabriel, waiting for an answer. As much as she disliked his attitude and constant advances he was still important to her master and therefore important to her. She watched as his eyes slowly came back into focus and he looked at her for the first time since they had gotten on the helicopter.

"I shot you and didn't listen to you, surely you hate me more than before now." he said quietly, averting his eyes as he finished.

"Hate you? Where did you get that idea?" Draciana replied in a incredulous tone, sitting back into her chair with a raised eyebrow.

"I mean, all the signs are there. You constantly deny me and lately you have snapped at me and even pushed me away. And you let that damn vampire Alucard get so close to you and even touch you! You act like you don't know him but it's clear you do. You never let anyone get that close. Just who is he to you?" Gabriel said, his voice rising and his anger becoming more prominent. Draciana interrupted him before he could continue his rant and slew of questions.

"So you assume I hate you because I do not feel the same about you? You are truly oblivious if you believe that, I am not interested in having a serious relationship outside of the one I had with my husband. I made a vow to him that I will not break, not even for my master's grandson, and you must learn to understand that. Your advances certainly do not make me like you more especially when you insult my ring and try to speak in my language while knowing nothing about it." Draciana said firmly. He had a dangerous way of thinking that would make people truly hate him rather than merely disliking his attitude.

Gabriel sat in a shocked silence as his mouth gaped open before his eyes narrowed and his voice rose slightly.

"You avoided my question about Alucard, you say you have no wish to be in a serious relationship outside of the one you have out of the one you previously had. Yet you let him stare at you like that and let his hands on you while he whispers God knows what to you? I saw you two on the flight back, you pushed him away and then you are acting like a couple on the way back. I understand that my persistency has made you upset but whatever is going on between you two isn't right, not even friends should be flipping moods like that."

Draciana felt her patience running out rapidly and knew that the subject of this conversation would have to change before she lost all of her patience.

"What my relationships with others are are none of your concern, you are correct that I have no interest in loving another but I could decide to let myself love another whenever I feel but you have no say in that. And you have changed the subject off of you to me. Why is it that you cannot accept that what you do will never result in a good conclusion? Why can you not accept your wrongdoings and fix them?"

Gabriel fell silent before shakily responding. "Why. Why won't you let me try and show you? I will stop being so persistent and watch my words. Please, just give me a chance, give us a chance. I really do love you I could list everything about you that I love. I will even ask grandfather for permission." he pleaded. Draciana felt pity for Gabriel. He feelings were true, there was no doubt about it, but she could and did not return his feelings. He had to learn one way or the other that things would not always go his way.

Draciana let out a sigh "Gabriel, your feelings are true. I can see that, but you must accept that things will not always go your way and that not everyone will feel the same as you, quite the opposite actually. And what makes you think asking my master for permission will change my mind? I assure you many men tried that with my parents and even with their permission they failed to catch my heart."

Gabriel clenched his hands into fists and closed his eyes. "I'm- I'm sorry Draci, I will try to change my behaviors starting with being less pushy. If it means you'll give me a chance I'll do it." Gabriel said in a confident voice. Draciana felt her shoulders slump towards the end of his sentence. She had said absolutely nothing about giving him a chance to pursue her. It seemed that this was something that Gabriel would have to realize on his own, seeing as her explanation was not working at all. Maria entered the kitchen with a tray with forceps, scissors, bandages and a metal bowl and shooed Gabriel out.

"Out, I have to cut her shirt to get to the wound and you sure as hell aren't going to be in here, no arguing!"

Once Gabriel was out of the room, Maria turned to Draciana and set the tay down and grabbed the scissors to begin cutting the shoulder area of her top.

"How did it happen, how did you get shot? Surely you aren't so clumsy to get hit like this." Maria asked quietly as she picked up the forceps and began pulling out the fragments of the bullet.

"Gabriel was inexperienced in fighting vampires and tried to help, but he missed and the bullet went through the vampire and hit my shoulder. Walter had to kill it."

"I knew he shouldn't have gone." Maria muttered as she pulled out a piece and let it drop into the metal bowl. Draciana hummed in response, not wishing to talk anymore. She just wanted time to rest and think about so many things that had been whirling around her mind. The next few minutes were spent in silence except for the sound of bullet pieces falling into the tray.

"The rest of the pieces are too small to pull out, but I'm sure your body will be able to fight off the effects of the blessed bullet. There isn't much in there, Now go get some rest like the master has said," Maria ushered as they both stood up, grabbing the tray and following Draciana out of the kitchen. She stood at the end of the stairs as Draciana walked up them. Draciana chuckled when she saw Maria making a motion for her to hurry up and get to her room. Draciana gently blew out the candle lit in the hallway as she walked to her room. She opened the door and let out a sigh as she saw Alucard leaning against the wall near her coffin, inspecting her journal. She crossed her arms and waited for him to look at her. He looked up at her and a grin formed on his face as he set the journal down and began to approach her. Draciana stayed where she stood as he approached her. "You don't look pleased to see me, draga. Something plagues your mind." Alucard grabbed her arms and gently pulled her close and began leaning down towards her. She felt herself panic as she flinched back before their lips could touch. She forced herself to relax, this was her husband she had to learn how to interact as she once did with him, even if it took months or years. Before she could lean back in to reciprocate the kiss, Alucard had stepped back and let go of her, looking at her with emotions she could not describe but she felt guilt knowing that she was the reason they were there.

"Why do you continue to push me away? You say you will not let us be separated again yet you continue to push me away. And who is the fool who follows you around with a lovestruck look on his face?" Alucard growled out as the air between them began to get tense. Draciana said nothing and for a few minutes there was silence between them before Alucard let out a growl and began walking out of the room, his hair becoming a bit unruly as his shadow lost its form.

"Alucard… Vlad." Draciana called out to him before he walked out of the door. He stopped and turned around.

"I will keep that promise until I cannot, but you must understand that I have gone centuries without you. I had no contact or relationships like what I had with you. I've forgotten what that feels like, Vlad!" Draciana cried out as she felt tears begin to fall down her face. She had tried to maintain her composed look but things were happening too fast and she couldn't deal with the pressure anymore. "I just… I just need some time to learn about everything again, to learn about you again. You have changed, and so have I- we are the same but different. It's been centuries, Vlad it won't be as easy as a simple kiss to fix and repair the damage being seperated has done. I love you and I always will but we need to take our time and not rush things. Please understand that," Draciana said, her voice cracking as she brought her hands to her chest and gently rubbed her ring as a bloody tear dropped on it. She heard footsteps and looked up to see him approaching her before he grabbed her left hand and kissed the ring, gently rubbing her hand.

"I made a vow and I will keep that vow for eternity, but you must remember, my dear, I am not known for my patience." Alucard replied with a grin as he kissed her hand before letting it go.

Draciana snorted. "I am well aware on how impatient you can get, but I am also well aware that you were patient enough to wait three years to ask my parents for my hand and four to ask me. You only lack patience when it something you do not care for Count."

Alucard smiled fondly down to her before turning around to walk out of the room. He paused and looked over his shoulder. "You may be right, but you should really get some sleep. It's been quite an eventful day, Countess." She saw his red eyes flash before she left and felt relief fill her as a weight was lifted from her chest. She turned to her coffin and pulled off her boots and clothes and changed into a black silk dress. She crawled into her coffin as the sun rose, revealing a beautiful sunrise that reflected off the snow and ice. She fell asleep almost the instant the second her coffin and eyes closed.

 **(Hi everyone so I'm going through some tough times so chapter might slow down a bit but there will still be updates. Thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoy the chapter and please let me know what you think~)**


	7. A peaceful Night

Blood splattered against the white snow, dying it pink as Draciana watched her blade go through the vampire's chest. Walter and Alucard had taken care of the other two vampires who had joined the first in attacking. It was quite a curious phenomenon, Draciana mused as she slid her blade back into its sheath. Vampires did not tend to group together- yet the vampires had all been in pairs or groups of three and four and they were all animalistic. In fact they just seemed like intelligent and strong ghouls rather than vampires, which would be no surprise seeing as they were experiments and not true vampires. The trio made their way back to where the helicopter waited for them. Draciana enjoyed the silence and Walter seemed completely content with the lack of Gabriel's constant talking and questions. Although Walter had seemingly gotten more used to Gabriel and wasn't as rude or quick to snap, he still let his annoyance be known. She felt Alucard come up behind her and lean over her shoulder with an amused grin, causing her to stop walking and raise an eyebrow.

"Draga mea, you've gotten very good with that sword since we last sparred. How do you feel about a little spar, just like we used to?" Alucard spoke, causing Draciana to let a sigh escape from her as she looked up and gave Alucard a blank look.

"By 'spar', you mean spar until you get bored and try and do something that isn't sparring. Not a chance, Count. You should know by now that will never work on me. Nor has it ever." Draciana replied with an amused tone.

"I haven't heard that name in a long time Countess, you should say it more. And who knows, maybe you could have changed your mind after all these years. Maybe I could change your mind Countess-"

Draciana slapped a hand over his mouth with a blunt "No." before cringing and taking her hand off in disgust as she felt his tongue on the palm of her hand. She looked up at Alucard only to see an "innocent" smile on his face as he tilted his head in a mocking way, as if asking what was wrong. Before the conversation could continue Walter let out an annoyed groan and turned towards them with annoyance on his face.

Draciana let an amused smirk make its way onto her face before shifting away from Alucard and resumed walking.

"Alright Walter, let's go since you seem in a rush to get home. Are you tired, perhaps? Children shouldn't be up this late." she teased as she walked up to him, causing him to glare at her.

"For the last time I am not a child-"

She put a hand on his head as her smile turned into a grin.

"Walter I assure you, you are a child in human years. To me, you are like a very moody newborn." Walter swatted her hand off his head before glaring at her once more and leading the way back to the helicopter. She heard Alucard chuckle behind her before they began following Walter back to the helicopter in silence.

She felt amusement at the thought of how Walter had changed in the week they had been working together. When they had first met, Walter had been foul mouthed and rude. But now he had seemingly adjusted to her and he was no longer as cold and rude, slowly opening up to her. She had not managed to learn how Walter had come to work for Sir Hellsing, or what his past was, but she was beginning to find out things he like and hated and how to talk to and read him. Although she had tried to be nice and do as much as she could to get him to open up and let her know him more, she could not help but push his buttons sometimes so that she could see his other emotions. But Gabriel was the best when it came to pushing Walter's buttons and getting reactions out of him. Gabriel could simply be talking to him and Walter could go from being quiet and not interacting with anyone to bickering with Gabriel because he tends to be very vocal about his thoughts. When Gabriel had brought up Walter's habit of smoking, Walter had straight up told him that he did not care what Gabriel had thought and then had brought up the fact that Gabriel was unable to go a single day without falling and almost breaking something. Maria had tried to mediate the bickering but Gabriel had brought up how Walter had made one of the kids cry because he had looked at them wrong and then they began throwing things the other had done back and forth until Sir Hellsing and her master entered the room.

Draciana was brought out of her thoughts as she heard Gabriel's voice break through the silent forest.

"If he had come with us he would have scared the vampire off with how much he talks and how loud he is." Walter stated bluntly as he began to pull out a cigarette. Draciana sped up and snatched the cigarette and the cigarette box out of his hand.

"Be nice, Walter. And you can have these back when we get back, the smell is awful and I don't want you to start bickering with Gabriel like you are children again." she stated firmly as she walked past him.

Walter stared at her in frustration before letting out a groan. He turned to Alucard

"Why are you so quiet and flirty lately, you are never quiet or flirty... what have you been doing." Walter bluntly spoke as he gave him a blank stare and pointed at him.

Draciana stopped and turned to see a grin making a way on Alucard's face as he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye

"Nothing." Alucard replied smoothly

"Liar! You are never doing nothing, you are always up to something." Walter accused with a raised voice as irritation took over his expression.

"Now now, when have I ever lied to you-"

"Many times." Walter interrupted bluntly causing Draciana to laugh at the two. They paused and looked at her.

"You have a talent for picking fights, I see. Walter, stop bickering so we can get home already." she replied with amusement as she waited for the other two to begin walking. After a few minutes of walking they walked into the clearing where the helicopter and Gabriel and the two pilots were. Gabriel was still talking loudly to the co pilot who was trying to get him to be quieter while the other pilot was laying against the helicopter having used the headphones from the helicopter to block Gabriel out as he slept. Gabriel noticed the co pilot turn his attention to the trio and stood up with a grin and waved at them.

"You're back, did everything go well?" he replied with the same loud tone before Walter intervened

"Be quiet, we are in enemy territory is your plan to draw out all the troops to us? Because there is no way you would be able to defend yourself after getting your gun confiscated."

Gabriel's eye twitched in annoyance as he turned his attention to Walter.

"What, are you scared? Is the great Walter scared to fight some German troops?" Draciana let out a sigh as the words left Gabriel's mouth and Walter responded calmly.

"I am not scared. I could kill them in seconds if they showed their faces, but I don't feel like having to protect you if you get scared by some random animal again and lose your concentration."

"That happened once, Walter, once! And are you implying that you would protect me, all you said is you didn't want to." Gabriel replied with a smug grin.

"Doesn't mean it won't happen again, and I didn't say I would, I'm sure Draciana would protect you like a child as always, but I don't know why she bothers with someone who can't even defend themselves against a "child" as you call me."

'That's not true! I'm not a child, Draciana, right? I am a fully grown man- you don't need to defend me, you do it because you want to, right?" Gabriel questioned Draciana, who offered him a sheepish smile.

"You are asking her to defend you right now, aren't you." Walter stated bluntly, causing Gabriel to turn around and deny what Walter had just said and try to defend himself. Alucard left Draciana's side and approached Grabiel until he was towering in front of him. He leaned down, allowing Gabriel to get a glimpse of his eye.

"I assure you, you are no man. You are merely a boy. Tell me what it is that you think makes you a man. Have you been with a woman?" Alucard replied as a grin grew on his face.

"Alucard! You don't just go around asking people if they are virgins or not!" Draciana scolded as she approached the group and looked at Gabriel who was now bright red with embarrassment as he opened and closed his mouth trying to find a way to respond.

'What about you draga? Are you still a virgin?" Alucard replied as he turned his attention to her receiving a deadpan stare in response before Draciana began boarding the helicopter. Alucard followed after her asking her why she wouldn't answer the question followed by Gabriel who was still red and silent and Walter who looked content with the attention not being on him. The two pilots stared in silence before getting up and starting the helicopter.

The moon was halfway through the clear night sky by time the group had arrived back at the mansion. Draciana guessed it was around midnight as she could see lights coming from the main room windows. Draciana gently jumped out of the helicopter and onto the thin snow. No doubt winter was coming to an end and spring would be coming soon. Maria opened the doors as they approached and greeted them cheerfully, leading them to the main room so they could sit while she let her master and Sir Hellsing know they had returned.

Draciana took a seat next to Alucard and as she closed her eyes relaxed back into the couch she felt something grip her leg and a small giggle was heard. She opened one eye to see Aliza holding onto her leg and resting her head on Draciana's knee with a bright smile. Aliza's hair had begun growing again and was now long enough to put into very small pigtails and her cheeks had filled in and gotten a rosy blush as her health returned. Her brown eyes glittered as she said excitedly said

"Zurück willkommen Draci!" and looked up, waiting for approval.

Draciana felt warmth spread through her at the sight as she chuckled and leaned forward.

"Nein, es ist willkommen zurück, Aliza." she replied gently and placed a hand on her head and rubbed it as she fondly looked at the small girl. Aliza pouted as she realized she messed up but her eyes lit up with determination as she let go of Draci and ran to the hallway yelling for Maria. Draciana and Maria had been helping her and the other children learn German in order to keep them busy, but Maria had taken over those duties as Draciana was often doing a mission. Maria walked into the room with an excited Aliza holding onto the back of her baby blue dress.

"The master and Sir Hellsing would like to see you now." she replied, her baby blue eyes filled with joy as she looked down at Aliza, before frowning as a black hair fell out of her bun causing Aliza to laugh. The trio stood up and made their way to her master's office as Maria picked up Aliza and walked to the table in the main room.

They entered the office to see the three men sitting around the desk drinking wine as the fireplace was lit in the back of the room. Arthur and Andreas turned their attention to the trio and Arthur stood up with a wide grin.

"Welcome back, I am very pleased with how all of this went, surely a celebration is needed."

Andreas approached Draciana and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Well done Draciana, even if you are probably far too old to be in the field." he teased causing a chuckle to rise from Draciana

"I assure you I am far from walking away from the battlefield, unlike you I still have a young body and my bones don't crack when I stand up. I'm surprised they haven't alerted the enemy that you are there yet." Draciana replied smoothly, causing Andreas to throw his head back and roared with laughter.

"Your tongue is sharp as ever, draga." Alucard replied causing her to stiffen and look around to see if anyone had heard but it seemed that the chatter and laughter had covered it. She lightly smacked his arm before hissing out

"Alucard you know neither of our masters know about our history, I don't think you should just go around acting like this. Who knows what reaction they will have."

Alucard's eyes narrowed.

"I have no intention of keeping our relationship a secret, Countess, but if it makes you happy I will not outright say it to our masters but I will not hide it either. They must know you are already claimed, especially that annoying boy." he replied with a low growl in his voice. Draciana felt her eyes widen as he said those words. He had said that almost word for word when they were human and had first started to see each other. Memories began to make their way into her thoughts before she pushed them away and let out a sigh. Before their conversation could continue Alucard was called over by his master and Draciana was left standing in front of her master who had been silent the entire time.

She watched as he raised his glass to his mouth with shaky hands and took a small sip of the wine before putting the glass down, the liquid inside sloshing and almost spilling over the edge. Her eyes trailed up to her master's face and she felt a pain go through her chest as she saw his pale and gaunt face. His cheeks had sunken in and there were large dark circles around his eyes and his lips were severely discolored. She listened carefully and heard his raspy breathing and his unsteady heartbeat. How had this happened? He was a bit worse than normal this morning, but she found no signs that he would worsen so much while she was away.

Andreas looked over at Draciana and felt sadness run through him as he saw her confused and panicked face as she tried to figure out what happened while she was gone.

"Why don't we head down to the main room, we are having a feast in celebration of the mission's success and we wouldn't want to miss it." Andreas spoke up as he began leading the other three men out of the office. The room was silent for a bit before her master moved the glass away and looked at her with tired and pained eyes.

"My time is coming, Draciana." he spoke in a raspy voice, confirming her earlier observations.

"Blunt as always master." Draciana replied shortly as she looked him in the eyes.

"And I want you to know that I have no wish or desire to be turned by you or any other vampire. I have lived a long and full life and I wish to rest peacefully. And I will not be taken to a hospital, I was born and raised in this mansion and I will take my last breaths in it, not in an unfamiliar hospital bed drugged up on medication." he spoke firmly, forcing what strength he had left in his voice. She remained silent as she did not know what to say to her master, none of her previous masters had been with her as long nor had they been so kind to her.

"Sit down, Draciana. There are questions I wish to ask you and I want you to answer in the full truth." her master ordered firmly. Draciana pulled out the chair that Andreas had been sitting in and moved it so it was closer and at the front of the desk.

She watched as her master leaned forward and then asked his first question, one she had been dreading.

"You and Arthur's vampire, Alucard, seem very close. In fact closer than I had ever imagined you would be with someone. And from what he said earlier, I can only assume that there is a past between you two. Who is Alucard to you?"

Draciana took a deep breath as he finished the question and nervously rubbed the ring that sat on her hand.

"Master, you already know of my past and the one who I fell in love with and married."

"Yes the Count of Wallachia, Vladmir Dracul. You said he died- unless you are telling me that Alucard is the very same man." her master answered as he raised an eyebrow.

Draciana let out a small fond smile before replying.

"Yes, the very same man I married. I can assume he is not the way you thought he would be, he was different when he was not dealing with his duties of fighting a war. But there are some things about him that I do not know. He has changed in the centuries we have been apart."

Her master had remained quiet and relaxed into his chair with a smile as he saw the joy on her face.

"You asked me what the significance of the garden was when it was built. It was almost an exact replica of the one he had given to me when we were human. It had been his mother's but had gone unattended after her death and I had stumbled upon it when I was exploring the castle while Vlad tended to his duties. I began to visit it more and try to clean it up and Vlad ended up catching me." Draciana said.

"Was he angry?" her mastere prompted, wanting to hear more.

"No, he was more amused that I had been sneaking around to the garden instead of just asking him." Draciana chuckled as she remembered the moments that he had revealed himself. Her master remained silent for a bit before leaning forward on his desk once more the tone in the room grew serious as she waited for what her master would say next.

"As you know I was originally planning to continue the same tradition as your masters before me and make Gabriel your next master. But I am having second thoughts now as Gabriel is still too immature and has shown no signs of changing any time soon. So I will ask you this, Draciana. Do you wish to go back with Alucard and Arthur? Because I have also noticed you and the young boy developing a unique relationship." her master spoke as he shakily picked up the glass once again and took a drink, watching her carefully over the rim. Draciana remained silent as she did not know how to respond. Her mind told her to remain with their family as she had always done and to do the mission that had been burned into her mind by the scientists, to serve their family and no other. But her heart wanted nothing more than to be at her love's side once again and to never leave it.

"I will do as you order master. If you order that I go back with Sir Hellsing then I will do so." Draciana replied, not trusting her voice to hold out against her inner turmoil. Her master remained silent and she saw something change in his eyes and knew that he had made up his mind and would tell her when the time comes. Draciana stood up and grabbed her master's wheelchair and gently asked,

"Shall we join the others, master? I'm sure they are wondering where we are and dinner must be done by now." Her master let out a grunt in response to her question and allowed her to help him into the wheelchair and she began pushing him to the main room, where talking and the laughter of the children could be heard clearly. She walked into the room and pushed her master to the table where Andreas and Sir Hellsing sat talking to each other. She offered a smile before walking over to the couch where Alucard sat and as she caught his eyes she noticed his curious look. Draciana walked past Walter who was doing his best to stay from the reach of the children and tossed his pack of cigarettes at him. Draciana paused her steps before turning around and making her way to the kitchen to help Maria pass out dinner. She took a few steps forward before her master's voice stopped her.

"Draciana, you will not set one foot into the kitchen. Maria is just fine and she has Gabriel and the other servants helping her. Now go sit down." he ordered pointing to the couch where Alucard sat with a small grin.

"Yes draga, come sit down I'm sure I can help you unwind." Alucard said with a large grin that revealed his sharp teeth and his eyes had hunger in them as he gestured next to him.

"Yes master." Draciana replied in a defeated tone before walking back to the couch and giving Alucard a scolding glare causing him to chuckle.

As Draciana sat down she felt Alucard lean closer as Maria and the others entered the room with food and two glasses of blood for her and Alucard. Maria handed them their glasses as Draciana thanked her and she took a small sip watching with happiness as the children cheered and surrounded Gabriel. Draciana silently listened to the chatter and laughter and had begun spacing out before she heard Aliza's voice and noticed that she had approached Alucard. She spoke in Yiddish and pointed at the glass that Alucard help loosely. Draciana was confused at what the girl was trying to ask before letting out a giggle

"She wants to know what we are drinking." she explained with amusement.

She watched as Aliza grabbed the glass out of Alucard's head and gave him a look as she drew the glass closer to her face before quickly lunging forward and taking the glass out of Aliza's hands as she went to take a sip. She shot Alucard a glare before shoving the glass towards him with another glare.

Aliza sat down in front of them and quickly finished her food before standing up once again again and began hopping up and down while pointing at Draciana and saying

"Haar!Haar!"

Draciana realized that Aliza wanted to play more before she gently pushed Alucard over and pulled Aliza next to her so she could have easy access to her hair. She felt Aliza gently tugging her hair and beginning to braid her hair before the other children got up and surrounded Draciana reaching for her hair as she held her hands up in an attempt to calm them down. Draciana gently slid off the couch and onto the floor much to the children's joy before two of them broke away and dragged Walter off the chair he had been asleep in, and to his horror made him sit down next to Draciana who offered him a pitious smile.

By the time the children were done Aliza and another girl had placed many different sized braids into her hair while the other girl and boy had somehow managed to put chunks of Walter's hair into small ponytails and had pinned his bangs up. A few minutes later the children had fallen asleep along with Walter who was pinned by the boy who had more clips in his hand. She heard Andreas chuckle lowly as he approached before gently saying

"You two should head upstairs. I will get some blankets and get the Dieter to bed."

Draciana was hesitant but followed his advice as Alucard offered his hand to help her up and began leading her upstairs. She was silent as worries about her master's condition had consumed her thoughts and she had not noticed they arrived at her bedroom and Alucard had wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and nuzzled into her neck. Draciana absentmindedly raised her hand to Alucard's head and began gently stroking his head, running her fingers through his hair causing a low rumble from Alucard's chest. She closed her eyes and sank back into his chest and they stood there in a comfortable silence as Alucard held her and placed kisses along her shoulder and neck.

"What bothers you, my love? Something plagues your thoughts." Alucard asked in a low tone as he lifted his head back up and looked at her.

"My master's health is rapidly decaying, he does not have much longer in this world." Alucard hummed and prompted her to finish.

"I do not know what will happen once again. And I do not wish for him to leave, he has shown me kindness that none of my masters had shown before and he became a dear companion when I was alone and needed it most."

"There is something else, what is it?" Alucard replied as he watched her, his eyes softening a tiny bit as she spoke.

"My master has spoken with me about what will happen after he passes." she paused, swallowing. "He asked if I wished to return with you and Sir Hellsing."

"And what did you say my love?"

"Nothing, I could not decide. My mind tells me to stay here and continue what I have done for generations while my heart aches to be at your side once again."

Alucard remained silent before turning her around a placed a lingering kiss on her forehead before gently pressing their foreheads together. She placed a hand on his face, watching his eyes flutter shut as she did so.

"Go rest Count, there will be more time to be together."

"As you wish, my countess." Alucard murmured before grabbing her hand and placing kisses on her fingertips, placing a final one on the ring that sat on her hand and walking through the wall.

"The door was right next to you." Draciana said in exasperation as she heard a startled shout come from the hallway and a laugh from Alucard.

 **(I'm sorry for the late update real life got pretty chaotic and I wasn't able to make the chapter longer. And I would really love to interact with you guys more so from now on I will be responding to all comments ^^. I hope you all enjoy and look forward to what you all think.)**


	8. I'm so sorry I'm back now

I apologize for my lack of updates, I've gotten very invested into other fandoms and projects and somewhat lost my inspiration with this book. I have regained my energy and plan to hopefully get the next chapter out this weekend or by next week at the most. I sincerely apologize once again. I also want to sincerely thank MrsLittletall, your comments were extremely uplifting and helped me regain my energy. (also have been putting my German to use lol so glad it's correct xD). Angelic Reaper 13 than you for your comment and I hope you continue to enjoy my story. Dragonmaster789, a special thank you to you for supporting me since the beginning, I hope you all will continue to do so ^^.


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